| D. J. Reader | |
| Current Team: | Detroit Lions |
| Number: | 98 |
| Position: | Nose tackle |
| Birth Date: | 1 July 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 3 |
| Weight Lbs: | 335 |
| High School: | Grimsley (NC) |
| College: | Clemson |
| Draftyear: | 2016 |
| Draftround: | 5 |
| Draftpick: | 166 |
| Pastteams: |
|
| Status: | Active |
| Statseason: | 2023 |
| Statlabel1: | Total tackles |
| Statvalue1: | 277 |
| Statlabel2: | Sacks |
| Statvalue2: | 9.5 |
| Statlabel3: | Forced fumbles |
| Statvalue3: | 1 |
| Statlabel4: | Fumble recoveries |
| Statvalue4: | 3 |
| Pfr: | ReadD.00 |
| Statlabel5: | Interceptions |
| Statvalue6: | 8 |
David Vernon "D. J." Reader Jr. (born July 1, 1994) is an American football nose tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson. He previously played for the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals.[1]
Reader played football and baseball at Clemson University. Reader was a pitcher for Tigers baseball in its 2013 season.[2]
Reader was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft. The Texans had previously obtained the aforementioned pick in a trade that sent Keshawn Martin to the New England Patriots.[3] He started seven games in his rookie year logging one sack, seven solo tackles and 15 assisted tackles.[4]
In 2017, Reader replaced the retired Vince Wilfork as the Texans starting nose tackle. He started the first 14 games of the season before being placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2017.[5]
On September 9, 2018, during the 2018 season opener against the New England Patriots, Reader had the first multi-sack game of his career with 2 on Tom Brady.
In Week 3 of the 2019 season against the Los Angeles Chargers, Reader recorded 1.5 sacks on Philip Rivers in the 27–20 win.[6]
On April 2, 2020, Reader signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.[7] [8] He was placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2020, with a quad injury.[9]
Reader was named the starting nose tackle for the Bengals in 2021. He finished the season with 43 tackles and two sacks. In Reader's second season with the Bengals, the team won three playoff games to reach Super Bowl LVI. Reader recorded a sack in a 23–20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.[10]
Reader suffered a knee injury in Week 3 of the 2022 season and was placed on injured reserve on September 29, 2022.[11] He was activated on November 19,[12] and played in each of the team's remaining seven regular season games, all victories. Cincinnati won the AFC North with a 12–4 record and entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak. Reader recorded two solo tackles in the team's 24–17 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round, and another two tackles (one solo) in a 27–10 win over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.[13] [14]
For the third season in a row in 2023, Reader was named the team's starting nose tackle. His only sack of the season came in Week 3 against the Rams. In Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings, Reader went down with an injury on the second play of the game. He was later diagnosed with a torn quadriceps tendon the following day, ending his 2023 campaign.[15] He finished the season with 34 tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection.
On March 14, 2024, Reader signed with the Detroit Lions[16]
Reader's father, David Sr., died from kidney failure on June 30, 2014.[17] Reader has one son, born in November 2019.
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | |||
| 2016 | HOU | 16 | 7 | 22 | 7 | 15 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | HOU | 14 | 14 | 47 | 23 | 24 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | HOU | 16 | 16 | 33 | 23 | 10 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | HOU | 15 | 15 | 52 | 28 | 24 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | CIN | 5 | 5 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | CIN | 15 | 15 | 43 | 22 | 21 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | CIN | 10 | 10 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023 | CIN | 14 | 14 | 34 | 20 | 14 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | 105 | 96 | 277 | 149 | 128 | 9.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | |||
| 2016 | HOU | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | HOU | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | HOU | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | CIN | 4 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | CIN | 3 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | 12 | 12 | 36 | 20 | 16 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||