D. J. Reader

D. J. Reader
Reader with the Houston Texans in 2016
Profile
PositionNose tackle
Personal information
Born (1994-07-01) July 1, 1994
Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight330 lb (150 kg)
Career information
High schoolGrimsley (Greensboro)
CollegeClemson (2012–2015)
NFL draft2016: 5th round, 166th overall pick
Career history
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Total tackles328
Sacks12.5
Forced fumbles1
Fumble recoveries3
Pass deflections9
Stats at Pro Football Reference

David Vernon "D. J." Reader Jr. (born July 1, 1994) is an American professional football nose tackle. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Reader has also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions.

College career

Reader played football and baseball at Clemson University. He 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. The Texans had previously obtained the aforementioned pick in a trade that sent Keshawn Martin to the New England Patriots.[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]

During the 2018 season opener against the New England Patriots, Reader had the first multi-sack game of his career when he sacked Tom Brady twice.

In Week 3 of the 2019 season against the Los Angeles Chargers, Reader recorded 1.5 sacks on Philip Rivers in the 27–20 road victory.[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 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] At the end of the 2021 season, Reader was the Bengals recipient of the Ed Block Courage award.[12]

Reader suffered a knee injury in Week 3 of the 2022 season and was placed on injured reserve on September 29, 2022.[13] He was activated on November 19,[14] 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 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.[15][16]

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. During 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.[17] Reader finished the season with 34 tackles, a sack, and a pass deflection.

Detroit Lions

On March 14, 2024, Reader signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions.[18][19]

Personal life

Reader's father, David Sr., died from kidney failure on June 30, 2014.[20] Reader's son was born in November 2019.

Reader’s devotion to community service has earned him recognition as a nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award with both the Houston Texans in 2019 and the Detroit Lions in 2025[21]. In Honor of his late father, Reader has been a long time supporter of the National Kidney Foundation, hosting charity walks and Golf tournaments.  In 2022, Reader received the President's Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Service Award for over 4,000 hours of service.[22] Reader also created the A Son Never Forgets Foundation, which holds annual football camp and provides free health and wellness programs for his local North Carolina community.[23][24]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF FR Yds TD
2016 HOU 16 7 22 7 15 1.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2017 HOU 14 14 47 23 24 1.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018 HOU 16 16 33 23 10 2.0 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 HOU 15 15 52 28 24 2.5 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 CIN 5 5 19 8 11 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2021 CIN 15 15 43 22 21 2.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 CIN 10 10 27 18 9 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 1 2 0 0
2023 CIN 14 14 34 20 14 1.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
2024 DET 15 15 23 11 12 3.0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2025 DET 17 17 28 11 17 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 137 128 328 171 157 12.5 27 0 0 0.0 0 0 9 1 3 0 0

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF FR Yds TD
2016 HOU 2 2 3 2 1 1.0 1 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 0
2019 HOU 2 2 7 4 3 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 CIN 4 4 12 7 5 1.0 3 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 0 1 0 0 0 0
2024 DET 1 1 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 13 13 37 20 17 2.0 4 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. ^ Zierlein, Lance. "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. ^ "Reader named Bengals' 2021 winner of Ed Block Courage Award". WKRC. January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  13. ^ "Bengals Roster Moves: Reader Placed on Reserve/Injured List". Bengals.com. September 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "Bengals Roster Moves: DJ Reader Activated, Punter and Wide Receiver Elevated for Week 11". Bengals.com. November 19, 2022.
  15. ^ "Wild Card Round Box Score". January 15, 2023.
  16. ^ "Divisional Round Box Score". January 23, 2023.
  17. ^ Marcum, Jason (December 16, 2023). "DJ Reader suffers torn quad tendon". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  18. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 14, 2024). "D.J. Reader agrees to two-year, $27.25M contract with Lions". NFL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  19. ^ "Lions sign unrestricted free agent DL DJ Reader". Detroit Lions. March 14, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Sidhu, Deepi (December 12, 2019). "D.J. Reader nominated for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year". www.houstontexans.com. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  22. ^ "NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League". NFL.com. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  23. ^ "DL DJ Reader Named Detroit Lions 2025 Club Winner for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award Presented by Nationwide". www.detroitlions.com. December 4, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  24. ^ Kendall, Kelly (June 22, 2025). "NFL player leads youth football camp in Triad hometown". WXII. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
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