D. J. Reader
refer to caption
Reader with the Texans in 2016
No. 98 – Cincinnati Bengals
Position:Nose tackle
Personal information
Born: (1994-07-01) July 1, 1994 (age 29)
Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:335 lb (152 kg)
Career information
High school:Grimsley (NC)
College:Clemson
NFL draft:2016 / Round: 5 / Pick: 166
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:277
Sacks:9.5
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:3
Pass deflections:8
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

David Vernon "D. J." Reader Jr. (born July 1, 1994) is an American football nose tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson.

College career

Reader played football and baseball at Clemson University. Reader was a pitcher for Tigers baseball in its 2013 season.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+5⁄8 in
(1.90 m) 		327 lb
(148 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 5.27 s 1.87 s 3.06 s 4.71 s 7.90 s 29.5 in
(0.75 m)		 8 ft 3 in
(2.51 m)		 30 reps
Sources:[2][3]

Houston Texans

Reader was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.[4] He started seven games in his rookie year logging one sack, seven solo tackles and 15 assisted tackles.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7]

Cincinnati Bengals

On April 2, 2020, Reader signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals.[8][9] He was placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2020, with a quad injury.[10]

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.[11]

Reader suffered a knee injury in Week 3 of the 2022 season and was placed on injured reserve on September 29, 2022.[12] He was activated on November 19,[13] 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.[14][15]

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.[16] He finished the season with 34 tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection.

Personal life

Reader's father, David Sr., died from kidney failure on June 30, 2014.[17] Reader has one son, born in November 2019.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

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

Postseason

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

References

  1. ^ "D.J. Reader, RH Pitcher". Clemson University. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "D.J. Reader Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  3. ^ "2016 Draft Scout D.J. Reader, Clemson NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  4. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Ganguli, Tania (April 30, 2016). "Texans select D.J. Reader in 5th round of 2016 NFL Draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  6. ^ "TRANSACTIONS: Texans add three to active roster". HoustonTexans.com. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018.
  7. ^ "Watson, Watt lead way as Texans outlast Chargers, 27-20". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  8. ^ Williams, Charean (March 17, 2020). "Bengals agree to terms on four-year, $53 million deal with D.J. Reader". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Bengals Announce Agreements With Eight Unrestricted Free Agents". Bengals.com. April 8, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "Bengals Sign DT Xavier Williams, Place D.J. Reader On Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. October 12, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals - February 13th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Bengals Roster Moves: Reader Placed on Reserve/Injured List". Bengals.com. September 29, 2022.
  13. ^ "Bengals Roster Moves: DJ Reader Activated, Punter and Wide Receiver Elevated for Week 11". Bengals.com. November 19, 2022.
  14. ^ "Wild Card Round Box Score". January 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "Divisional Round Box Score". January 23, 2023.
  16. ^ Marcum, Jason (December 16, 2023). "DJ Reader suffers torn quad tendon". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  17. ^ Ganguli, Tania (July 22, 2016). "D.J. Reader learns to overcome grief over his father's death to realize his NFL dream". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

External links

Houston Texans 2016 NFL draft selections
Cincinnati Bengals roster
Categories