The Cincinnati Bengals' roster was headlined by star quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, and wide receiver Tee Higgins when the team made the Super Bowl in 2021, and that's still the case today. However, defensive tackle D.J. Reader was a key part of the defensive line, and he signed with the Detroit Lions in March 2024.

The former Clemson Tiger notched 43 total tackles and two sacks in the regular season before recording seven tackles and one sack in the playoffs. Cincinnati ranked 13th in football with 21.8 points allowed per game that season, and the ranked 30th with 28.9 in 2025.

Reader isn't the only reason why, but the decline in overall defensive line quality is central to the Bengals' failures recently. They haven't made the postseason since 2022, and their points allowed ranking has decreased in each of the last three years.

Reader will hit free agency this offseason, and Lions fans on social media prefer to not re-sign him unless he takes a pay cut due to the team's depth at the position. Roy Lopez, Tyleik Williams, and Alim McNeil were all productive in 2025 and are under contract moving forward.

Reader responded by saying "The people have spoken, it's okay." Should Cincinnati bring him back if he leaves Detroit?

Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin admitted that the team needs pass-rush help during his end-of-season interview on Friday.

“Successful defenses, in my opinion, they have to be able to pressure the passer," he said."You'd like to be able to pressure with four,I think we need pass rush. I think that relieves some of the strain on the coverage."

Reader isn't a pass-rusher, but interior linemen and edge rushers work in tandem. If the interior guys consistently win their matchups and make offenses account for them, that makes it easier for edge rushers to get to the quarterback and vice-versa.

Reader botched 23 tackles and three sacks in 2024 and 28 tackles in 2025 for the Lions, who ranked 11th (21.5) and 22nd (24.3) in points allowed per game in those seasons, respectively. Not only was Cincinnati's defense better with him, but Detroit's defense was also better than Cincinnati's when it had him.

Reader turns 32 in July, but he could still be a complementary piece for the Bengals if they rebuild the defense this offseason. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to bring back the mojo from the year they almost won it all.