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The Giants have brought former Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader to town for a free agent visit
The New York Giants have been one of the more active teams across the NFL this offseason. Not only did they hire John Harbaugh to be their new head coach, but they also signed several players to join their team in free agency, as general manager Joe Schoen and the front office put their ample cap space to good use.
Right now, the Giants’ attention is on the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, but they may not be done adding to their roster through free agency just yet. That’s because, with the draft just 10 days away, New York decided to take a closer look at veteran Detroit Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who appears set to find a new home on the open market in the near future.
Reader is a 10-year veteran who initially broke into the league as a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft with the Houston Texans. Reader has spent four seasons apiece with the Texans and Cincinnati Bengals, before spending the past two years with the Lions. While he isn’t the flashiest player, Reader does a lot of the dirty work along the defensive line that helps make the lives of his teammates easier.
On paper, Reader didn’t have a great year in 2025, as he finished with just 28 tackles over 17 games of action. And yet, the numbers don’t paint the full picture of what Reader did with Detroit. Frequently used as a run-stuffing defender, Reader almost always takes up the attention of multiple offensive linemen when he’s on the field, which helps create advantages for his teammates.
The Lions are switching things up on defense this offseason, which means that Reader likely will be landing with a new team this offseason. The Giants, who are currently dealing with some drama involving star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, could use some depth at this spot, which led to them bringing Reader to town for a free agent visit on Monday.
“Sources: The Giants hosted veteran DT DJ Reader for a visit today,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported in a post on X. “Reader, who also recently visited the Ravens, has started 128 career games and has been a consistent presence on the interior.”
GettyD.J. Reader #98 of the Detroit Lions plays against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field.
Reader’s production isn’t going to show up on the stat sheet. Despite playing in at least 14 games in all but two years of his career, Reader’s career-high for sacks is only three, which came in 2024 with Detroit. Reader plugs the gaps at the center of the line, and while it isn’t a flashy style of play, guys like him who are willing to do the dirty work are the anchors of the defense in many cases.
New York is in a weird position when it comes to its pursuit of Reader, largely because Lawrence’s situation is up in the air. He wants a new contract, but with talks stalling, he decided to request a trade last week. If the Giants trade Lawrence, they could certainly use Reader, but even with his situation becoming rather volatile, it couldn’t necessarily bring him to town in order to shore up the depth along the team’s interior defensive line.
Owen Crisafulli Owen Crisafulli is an Email Newsletter Editor & Breaking News Writer at Heavy Sports. His work has also appeared on ClutchPoints, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, NESN Basketball Network, and FanSided, where he shared his insights on a variety of sports topics primarily surrounding the NFL, NBA, and MLB. More about Owen Crisafulli
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