Former Clemson standout and veteran defensive tackle DJ Reader remains unsigned and is still looking for a new NFL home.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently identified the best landing spots for the top remaining free agents, including Reader.

PFF named the Indianapolis Colts as the best landing spot for Reader.

Reader has spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions after signing a two-year deal with the team in March 2024. Reader excelled while playing under current Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo when he was previously the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Here’s what PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote about the Colts as the top landing spot for the 31-year-old and 6-foot-3, 330-pound Reader:

After a career year in 2023, Reader entered the open market with significant interest from teams. He ultimately signed a two-year, $27.25 million deal with the Lions. A productivity dip in Detroit put Reader back on the market, but this time with limited suitors. Despite that, Reader remains a solid interior piece who can bolster the right defensive line.

A move to reunite with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in Indianapolis would prove to be a strong pairing for both sides. While playing under Anarumo in Cincinnati, Reader put together the strongest stretch of his career, earning an 82.0-plus PFF overall grade in 2022 and 2023. Before his departure, Anarumo had high praise for Reader, both on the field and in the locker room.

Adding Reader would give the Colts defense a key piece familiar with the system and bolster a defense that struggled against interior runs. Indianapolis finished the 2025 campaign ranked 27th in PFF run-defense grade (53.8) when facing A and B gap runs.

After being drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft, Reader spent the first four seasons of his NFL career (2016-19) in Houston before playing four years with the Bengals from 2020-23 and then the past two with the Lions.

During his first year in Detroit in 2024, Reader started all 15 games he played in, tallying 23 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, eight quarterback hits and one pass defended. In 2025, he started all 17 games for the Lions, recording 28 total tackles and four quarterback hits.

Over his 10-year career with the Texans, Bengals and Lions, Reader has posted 328 total tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks to go with 56 quarterback hits, nine passes defended, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble across 137 games (128 starts).

Reader is ranked by PFF as the best remaining free agent, regardless of position.