The Detroit Lions have signed defensive tackle DJ Reader, the team announced Thursday.
Terms were not disclosed. According to multiple reports, Reader agreed to a two-year, $27.25 million contract.
Reader is another impact defensive player added this week by the Lions, who also traded for cornerback Carlton Davis III.
Reader is considered one of the cornerstones of the Cincinnati Bengals' franchise turnaround. When he landed with the Bengals in 2020, he was the first external free agent the team signed in its attempt to improve a roster that finished with the league's worst record in 2019. He signed a four-year deal worth $53 million, taking the Bengals' offer over those from other teams such as the Denver Broncos.
He started in all 44 games for the Bengals but suffered season-ending quad injuries in 2020 and 2023. Last season, Reader appeared in 14 games before he tore his right quad in a Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Reader said he experienced a lot of emotions in the process of leaving Cincinnati, especially after experiencing their Super Bowl run in 2021, and the relationships he developed with members of the organization.
"Things happen. Sometimes things don't work out in relationships, and you've got to move on to a better opportunity that I'm really, really excited about," Reader said.
Reader thought that things would work out with the Bengals but kept his faith of landing in the best situation, which he feels is in Detroit. His personal expectation is to be ready by the beginning of the upcoming year after suffering a season-ending quad injury last season.
"I feel like this is the place. I'm excited about what they have going on," Reader said. "The energy here as soon as I got here today was amazing, so I was super happy. Saw some familiar faces and that was a really good feel so I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
Pairing with Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill, a fellow North Carolina native, is something that Reader is also looking forward to in addition to teaming with edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and some of the other young players on the Lions' defense. Reader described the Lions environment as gritty, with a tough-nosed coach in Dan Campbell that he respects, and he feels that the organization is similar to the Bengals' franchise turnaround.
"I think they're ahead of where I was when I got there (to Cincinnati). I was telling them upstairs that these guys got that same taste in their mouth that I got. I got to the Super Bowl and lost," Reader said. "These guys got to the NFC Championship and lost. So, everybody in this building has that same goal to go get that taste out their mouth and I'm so ecstatic about that part. I can run through a wall about it right now because you don't get time to right those wrongs and this is an opportunity and I don't think like we're gonna take it lightly as a team to go out there and do our thing.
During his time with the Bengals, Reader was praised by defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo as one of the unit's most consistent players despite his modest numbers. He totaled 123 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 7 pass deflections with Cincinnati.
The Bengals moved on from Reader when they agreed to a contract this week with defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.
The former Clemson standout, 29, will be entering his ninth year in the league in 2024. He spent the first four seasons of his pro career with the Houston Texans, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2016.
He has 277 tackles and 9.5 sacks in his career.
ESPN's Eric Woodyard and Ben Baby contributed to this report.