Getty
The Bengals are linked with D.J. Reader
After three consecutive seasons without making the postseason, the Cincinnati Bengals appear motivated to improve. Despite not making any drastic changes to their coaching staff or front office, the team believes it has the right people in place to make another run in the playoffs, as they did in 2021 and 2022.
Injuries and a bad defense held them back in 2025. The defense was also an issue in 2024, as the team fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. This season, the Bengals missed All Pro pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who only appeared in seven games. They ended up as the third-worst scoring defense in the NFL despite spending three of their last four first-round picks on defense.
Now, ClutchPoints writer Ben Strauss is urging the Bengals to sign defensive help in the form of a former starter for Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Bengals Urged to Sign D.J. Reader
D.J. Reader was an integral part of the Bengals’ defense that helped them make two deep playoff runs. In four seasons with the Bengals, Reader started 44 regular season games and seven playoff games. Following the 2023 season, Reader left as a free agent and signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Detroit Lions. Now, he’s once again going to hit free agency.
Regarding the Bengals possibly going after Reader, Strauss wrote, “Perhaps the Bengals could reunite with a familiar face to round out their defensive line. Reader spent four seasons in Cincinnati after playing his rookie contract in Houston. He was a mainstay on Cincinnati’s defensive line during their Super Bowl run back in 2021.
Reader is not the dominant force he once was. But he is a stout run defender who could also be a great mentor to some of the team’s younger defensive players.”
Strauss is not the first to make the connection between Reader and the Bengals. Fox Sports writer Greg Auman also linked Reader to the Bengals. He wrote, “Reader, 31, just finished a two-year, $22 million contract with Detroit, starting every game as a nose tackle. There’s talk he could return to Cincinnati, where he played from 2020-23, and the Bengals could use his presence up front after finishing dead last against the run and bottom three in points and yards allowed in 2025. In his prime with the Bengals, he was graded as a top-10 defensive lineman, and he’s not that anymore, but could still be a match in the $6 million range.”
Bengals Plan on Spending This Offseason
Fortunately for Bengals fans, the team is likely going to spend this free-agency period. Joe Burrow made headlines with his comments about not having fun. While they sparked rumors about a possible trade, ultimately, it seems they had a positive effect on the Bengals.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that Burrow’s words may actually help the Bengals quarterback. Rapoport said, “I do expect the Bengals to take his words and kind of use it to spur them on a little bit to really spend this offseason. I expect the Bengals to enhance and support everything Joe Burrow does.”
The Bengals are currently projected to be a top-10 team in terms of available cap space. That means they will have the flexibility to go after Reader and additional pieces.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
More Heavy on Bengals
Loading more stories