Why D.J. Reader Would Be the Perfect "Insurance Policy" for the Giants' D-line

Veteran free-agent defensive lineman D.J. Reader, who is still in search of a new home for the 2026 season, visited the New York Giants, as verified by the NFL transaction wire.

The Giants' interest in Reader comes as no surprise, given the team’s contract standoff with star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and, from a bigger picture perspective, given the lack of solid depth on their defensive line.

With just one week before the NFL Draft, adding someone like Reader would give the Giants an insurance policy if things with Lawrence go south and/or if the Giants are unable to add to their defensive line via the draft.

Reader, 6-foot-3 and 330 pounds, was originally a fifth-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2016 out of Clemson. He played four seasons with Houston before joining the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 and then the Detroit Lions in 2024.

Reader has appeared in 137 games over his career with 128 starts. He has 328 tackles (171 solos), 27 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, and nine pass breakups.

If added to the Giants roster, Reader, a prototypical 0-tech/1-tech nose tackle who would likely fill a Haloti Ngata-type role on head coach John Harbaugh’s Giants defense, would give Big Blue additional depth for those times when Lawrence is not on the field.

Given his size, Reader is also a space eater who can chew up multiple blockers on any given play, which would allow for the linebackers behind him to stay clean.

Giants need defensive line depth

Oct 26, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) takes the filed against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Lawrence is currently sitting out the voluntary offseason program due to unhappiness over his contract, which, despite having two more years on the deal, has run out of guaranteed money.

Lawrence has also reportedly requested a trade if the Giants are unwilling to adjust his contract to make him jump from the 13th-highest APY for a defensive lineman back in the top five in the league.

The Lawrence situation aside, the Giants are looking to boost their defensive line depth, both through veterans and the draft. They moved on from veterans Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson, who signed with the Bucs and the Commanders, respectively.

A few weeks ago, the Giants checked in with Shelby Harris as well, and they also signed veteran Sam Roberts, who will join a room that, for now at least, will have Lawrence, Roy Robertson-Harris, second-year man Darius Alexander, and Elijah Chatman.

But with the NFL draft being next week, the Giants are likely doing due diligence in the event that they don't land a desired prospect in the draft, plus with the cutoff coming up regarding veteran free agent signings that could count against the 2027 compensatory pick formula, it would be surprising if the Giants sign anyone before the draft.

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