The Houston Texans are letting nose tackle D.J. Reader hit free agency, and the young star is going to cash in when the market opens.
D.J. Reader is a damn good player. The Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans are reportedly quite aware.
Those three teams are being linked to the Houston Texans’ star, with the trio all interested in acquiring his services, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Why Houston hasn’t locked up Reader remains a mystery, considering it has $61.3 million in projected cap space, no first-round pick for the next two years, a dire need to improve the defense and a 25-year-old stud already in the building.
Alas, Reader appears headed to the open market where he’ll have a bevy of teams vying for his talents. Last year, the former fifth-round pick out of Clemson broke out with 2.5 sacks and six tackles for loss. One of the best run defenders at his position, Reader is the rare defensive tackle who can play first and second down while giving some juice on third down as well.
For the Bills, Reader may be an insurance policy if they can’t retain Jordan Phillips, or simply a compliment to him. Phillips led the AFC in sacks for a defensive tackle with 9.5.
The Broncos are also looking at a few stalwarts along the defensive line hitting free agency, with Derek Wolfe and Shelby Harris scheduled for new deals. Both Harris and Wolfe play on the ends in Vic Fangio’s 3-4 alignment, while Reader plays over the center. Still, with the amount of looks teams play regardless of their base call, Reader could play instead of or alongside either.
Finally, the Titans would be adding to their embarrassment of riches up front. Jurrell Casey is one of the league’s best interior defensive linemen. The team also has an emerging star in Jeffrey Simmons, while Harold Landry is an effective edge rusher. Landing Reader — and from a divisional foe no less — would be a coup for Tennessee.
NFL free agency starts on March 18 at 4 p.m. ET, although the tampering period begins 48 hours prior.