D.J. Reader entered into 2020 free agency as the top nose tackle on the market. T.J. Watt won’t stop talking about the guy on social media and when a guy like that talks about you in draws attention. There are some good reasons that Reader chose the Bengals, even though a lot of pundits questioned his quick decision to choose Cincinnati. Let’s take a look:
- Bill O’Brien is driving the Texans into the ground. Trading away Hopkins, overpaying Tunsil and big contracts due for Watson and Watt are going to cash strap the franchise. It appears that the wheels are falling off a bit in Houston and O’Brien might be on thin ice if he cannot right the ship.
- Reader will join a powerhouse defensive line. He is going to be paired next to an All Pro sack machine (Geno Atkins), a young emerging defensive end (Sam Hubbard), and star 8 sack per season average machine (Carlos Dunlap). Reader will be asked to stop the run and help with double teams. He is the missing link on an already really good defensive line. He wanted to be a part of that.
- The Bengals opened up the checkbook quickly. 4 years and $53M was a sign the Bengals came to party. They paid the man and made the offer quickly before other teams likely wrote a number on the napkin and shoved it across the table. Clearly Duke and team did their homework on this guy and targeted him immediately. Reader also saw the Bengals invest in the backfield with Waynes, Alexander and Bell. When he looks next to and behind him he sees money being spent to improve quickly.
- Reader is young and will get a big third contract. Reader is going to be 29 when his current contract with the Bengals expires. It is likely Atkins will be either on year-to-year deals or not in Bengal stripes given his age. Reader has the opportunity to sign one more big deal and the option will be to either be the star NT in Cincinnati or sign elsewhere. Timing is great for this guy and his stats are going to look good helping him really cash in the next time around.
- Joe Burrow. Plain and simple Reader has a good chance to win over the next four years. No disrespect to Watson but there are no guarantees that he even re-signs at this point. Burrow is guaranteed to be a Bengal for the next five seasons and there is no question that the upside on that kid is huge. Teams can’t always afford players like Reader because so much of their cap is tied into the QB position. The few teams who have franchise QB rookie deals (Baltimore, Kansas City, Buffalo, both New Yorks, Arizona, etc.) and build around that player have the recipe for modern success.
There are huge hopes for this kid in Cincinnati and by all accounts he was a safe and smart investment. Paired with Vonn Bell this was the best Bengals signing in recent years. Sorry J.J. I know you are going to miss your boy but he is part of the Bengal family now.
