DJ Reader Is the Giants' Answer to Replacing Dexter Lawrence in the Trenches

The New York Giants cannot “replace” defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals before the draft, but in free-agent DJ Reader, whom they signed to a two-year agreement to fill the hole in the middle of the trenches, they have a capable solution.

Reader, a physically grizzled pro with 11 NFL seasons under his belt, is much older than Lawrence but has shown the same force throughout his career. His size and strength have worked in his favor against the run, where he has posted run defense grades over 73.1 six times and collected 230 total tackles with very few annual mistakes on his resume.

Reader is looking to be a difference maker for a unit that has been abysmal at slowing down the opposing run game. New York finished the 2025 season ranked dead last in average yards per carry and 31st in total rushing yardage allowed to their opponents.

He will also be playing alongside a fairly young group of defensive linemen, including a couple of untested draft picks who might have to step into the spotlight early in their journeys, making him both a key mentor for John Harbaugh and the heir apparent to the throne once held by Lawrence.

As Reader gets ready to don his fourth different uniform in East Rutherford, he must find a way to mirror the same impact and gain the defensive respect that his predecessor once earned as he tried to bring the Giants out of the doldrums.

DJ Reader, DL

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 330 lbs.
Exp: 11 Years
School: Clemson
How Acquired: FA-‘26

2025 in Review

For the first time since his stint with the Houston Texans that ended in 2019, Reader appeared in a full slate of games for the Detroit Lions, logging both a position-high 583 total defensive snaps and posting a 68.9 defensive grade in that workload.

While the veteran’s scores were not the most impressive of his lengthy career, he was at his most efficient as a pass rusher, where he recorded a 72.6 grade from recording 20 total pressures, including three hits and 17 hurries that largely came from his ability to bring quick pressure up the gut of the offensive line.

As a run defender, Reader was still pretty effective in shutting down the most direct lanes for the opposing ball carrier. He made 30 tackles (18 solos) that came at an average distance of 2.7 yards and missed only two attempts for a 6.5% missed tackle rate that marked his second straight year below a double-digit percentage.

Reader also did a solid job of avoiding penalties (2) that would have cost his team crucial yardage and had four games with at least three pressures, including his Week 16 performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers where he earned his highest pass rushing grade of 91.0 on the season.

Contract/Cap Info

Reader signed a two-year deal with the Giants in free agency worth a total of $12.5 million. The contract also includes $5.25 million in guaranteed money, a $2.5 million signing bonus, and up to $1 million per year in per-game bonuses.

The first year of his agreement will pay out a base salary of $1,750,000, another $1,750,000 in a guaranteed, prorated signing bonus, and a $1 million per-game roster bonus.

The likelihood that Reader doesn’t make the 53-man roster at the end of training camp is close to none, but if he were released, it would cost the Giants $3.5 million in dead money charges while bringing back just $1 million in cap savings for the 2026 season.

2026 Preview

Losing Dexter Lawrence was an absolute blow to the heart of the Giants' defense, but the organization tried all it could to make amends with the disgruntled star and keep him around as the anchor of their huddle that expects to be stronger and more versatile this season.

As soon as they knew a breakup was inevitable and Lawrence was traded to the Bengals, the Giants turned their sights towards landing one of the remaining big fish on the open market in DJ Reader, who at least could bring proven experience and leadership into a fairly young defense led by new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson that needed it.

Reader has most likely passed the prime of his NFL career, but his last few seasons have still shown a high level of reliability and efficiency as a big presence in the trenches.

He will be expected to fill in the sasquatch-sized shoes at nose tackle and make it more difficult for opposing offenses to pound the Giants in the A- and B-gaps for another whole year.

One of the main priorities for Reader and company must be slowing down the damage the Giants tend to allow on early downs, so they can give the back end of the defense more of an edge when the rival game plan shifts to the passing game.

Last fall, the Giants were largely unsuccessful at that mission, and it served as one of the catalysts for their standing at the bottom of the league in major opponent rushing metrics.

They allowed 108 rushing plays up the middle, good for 20th, and their foes averaged 4.45 yards per carry in those attempts, enough for the team to sink to 26th by the end of 2025.

More specifically, in first-down-and-10 situations, New York was even more generous with 228 plays leading to a heaping 1,150 rushing yards, an average of 5.04 yards per attempt, and 35 first-down conversions, all of which finished among the top six worst numbers for a team defense.

Plugging Reader’s impressive size and strength into those gaps should be the start of fixing them.

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