Lomas Brown on Why D.J. Reader is a Key Piece to Unleash the Giants' Pass Rush

With the trade of Dexter Lawrence leaving a void in the trenches, Joe Schoen found his answer in veteran D.J. Reader—a 330-pound anchor ready to unleash New York's elite pass rush.

Defensive tackle DJ Reader will do more for the Giants defense other than help with the run. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Joe Schoen’s mission was clear yet incomplete following the NFL Draft. The general manager had fortified all but one of the consensus soft spots on the New York Giants’ roster, and there was only one veteran free agent left on the market who could reasonably plug their hole at nose tackle.

Enter D.J. Reader, whose contract was not renewed by the Detroit Lions because the team had decided to get younger and cheaper at the position.

At 6-3 and 330 pounds, Reader spent his first 10 NFL seasons as a solid run-stopper, clogging the interior of the trenches for Houston (four seasons), Cincinnati (four seasons), and Detroit (two seasons).

In other words, Reader is exactly what the Giants needed with the recent trade of nose tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals, which only weakened a rush defense that’s been ranked no higher than 25th in the league since 2021.

Reader signed with the Giants almost two weeks after the draft, following a short stay in Detroit, where he also spent time tying up double-teams in order for his teammates to make plays. 

His traits will fit perfectly into what the Giants will ask him to do, explained Lions radio analyst and former Giants left tackle Lomas Brown, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.

“[The Lions] wanted him to be basically our two-gap guy – he’s got to eat up two blocks,” Brown told Big Blue Breakdown Live! “[Fellow defensive lineman] Alim McNeill  was the guy that we just wanted to get upfield to penetrate to try to cause chaos.

“But I thought that D.J. did his job very well with what he was asked to do. He wasn't asked to get after the quarterback; he was asked to control the line of scrimmage, and he did a very good job of that.

“For the most part, we were pretty much Top 10 or so with the run defense this [past] year. And D.J. was a huge part of that because it allowed McNeill to move around.” 

Brown sees a similar role for Reader with the Giants.

“You’ve got talent all along that defensive line. Now, you plug in D.J. Reader–just think about what you guys could do off the edges with that defensive line, what guys could do stunt-wise. So yeah, I think he'll be an invaluable piece to add to that.”

Reader only missed two games (in 2024) over his time in Detroit, playing an average of 545 snaps per year ( 53%). Although he’ll be 32 this season, the nose tackle continues to exhibit a high level of physical prowess.

Brown added that the Giants have a much stronger pass rush than Reader had with the Lions; therefore, playing as part of a front that contains Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux should only enhance Reader's effectiveness.

“I think the one thing is his quickness getting off the ball, but [it’s] his pad levels,” Brown said. 

“He plays with a low pad level, and any time a guy plays with a low pad level, it's hard to dig them out of there. That's why he's such a stalwart in the middle of that defensive line.

“He's strong, but, as I say, he's quick enough that if you needed him to play the 1-technique and just penetrate to get upfield, I believe he can do that. … You could see the quickness, you could see the strength, you know, you could see all the things that you need.” 

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