The Lions have received a boost on the health front in advance of roster cutdowns. Defensive tackle D.J. Reader was activated from the PUP list on Sunday, the team announced.
Reader had been rehabbing the torn quad which ended his 2023 campaign prematurely. That injury brought his Bengals tenure to a close, and it had an effect on his free-agent market. The 30-year-old signed a two-year pact with Detroit which carries a maximum value of $27.25M. Only $7.4M is fully guaranteed, however, so Reader’s ability to return to his previous form will go a long way in determining how the team proceeds after the coming campaign.
While playing on a four-year Bengals pact, the former fifth-rounder served as a full-time starter along the team’s defensive interior. Reader generally remained healthy during his time in Cincinnati aside from a quad tear suffered in 2020. He totaled only three sacks between 2020-23, but in that span, Reader notched 123 total stops and 20 quarterback hits.
Similar production will be expected in the Motor City. The Lions’ defensive efforts this offseason were mainly focused on improving in the secondary, but the team’s front seven was also upgraded with Reader’s arrival. The Clemson alum, as expected, began training camp on the active/PUP list and remaining on it throughout camp forced him to miss the preseason as well. Today’s move clears the way for him to return to practice during a brief ramp-up period in advance of Week 1, though.
Detroit – like all other teams – will have a number of key decisions to make in the coming days with rosters being reduced to 53 by Tuesday afternoon. With Reader’s status now clear, however, any consideration for a reserve/PUP designation (something which would have required a four-week absence) or for him missing the season opener amidst an uncertain health situation has now been avoided.