Allen Park, Mich. – The Detroit Lions announced today that they have signed unrestricted free agent DL DJ Reader. Contract terms were not disclosed.

Reader joins the Lions after spending the last four seasons (2020-23) with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2023, Reader started all 14 games in which he appeared and produced 34 tackles (20 solo), seven quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one pass defense and one fumble recovery.

He was originally selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Clemson, spending the first four seasons of his career (2016-19) with the team. In 105-career games (96 starts), he has totaled 277 tackles (149 solo), 44 quarterback hits, 23 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.