The earliest sign that the Cincinnati Bengals were on the verge of a turnaround came in March, 2020.
During head coach Zac Taylor’s second free agency window with the team, the Bengals signed defensive tackle D.J. Reader to the largest free-agent contract in franchise history.
Reader’s $53 million deal set the tone that the Bengals would be willing to spend aggressively in free agency, that Taylor was planning to reboot an entire roster and that players around the NFL believed they could have a shot to win in Cincinnati.
Over the following two years, the Bengals signed a lot more free agents like Reader. They were mostly defensive players who were called “overpays” at the time and players who had been shown the door by their previous team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t try to re-sign cornerback Mike Hilton. The New Orleans Saints replaced safety Vonn Bell in free agency. The Cleveland Browns had been playing defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi out of position. Cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple had to change teams after injury-riddled 2020 seasons.
Since last March, Reader has been a key piece in turning that group into a defense that’s worthy of a spot in the AFC Championship Game.
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“I think the guys who were on this team when I came in, we brought in an attitude of, ‘We're going to play defense and worry about our job and worry about what we're going to do. We're going to go out there every day and grind,” Reader said.
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“You know how many free agents we got -- the old team didn't want them? So that's where we come in and take the attitude with it.”
Since Reader was the first free agent to sign, and since he has also been one of the best run stopping defensive linemen in the NFL, Reader represents a lot of what has gone right for the Bengals defense this season.
After the Bengals beat the Tennessee Titans on Saturday in a game where Reader was the player most responsible for stopping running back Derrick Henry, Reader explained why he didn’t care about the recognition he could finally receive after the game.
Reader said that when he was 7, he ran around wearing a trash bag so he could lose enough weight to play Pee Wee Football. He was a three-star recruit who found success playing the nose tackle position. It’s a role that rarely leads to any sacks or turnovers. As a result, Reader’s impact can be difficult to notice.
D.J. Reader neutralized Derrick Henry
The exception to that is when you hold the best running back in the NFL to 62 rushing yards in a playoff game.
“A guy named D.J. Reader stepped up big time,” Bengals safety Jessie Bates III said. “I could say stuff about all of the guys up front, but I think D.J. really, really stepped up. And people maybe know his name now, which they should’ve been on.”
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In the win over the Titans, Reader played 83% of the defense’s snaps, which was his second-highest mark of the season. With Ogunjobi out with a foot injury, Reader took over the middle of the field and traveled from sideline-to-sideline to make tackles in the run game.
On a few outside runs, Reader shed multiple blocks to make it to the edge before Henry did.
He was Superman. If you’re going to single out one guy for their performance, D.J. Reader is certainly deserving of that. He set the tone.”
“He was Superman,” Taylor said. “If you’re going to single out one guy for their performance, D.J. Reader is certainly deserving of that. He set the tone.”
Over the last two years, Reader said he has searched his name on Twitter to look for negative comments that could serve as motivation. After he tore his quad in a season-ending injury last year, he found the spark that he needed to carry him through the rehab process.
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Changing the Bengals defense
Reader said the rest of the defense has that same quality. The Bengals had 100% participation at OTAs in May, and Reader said the buy-in from the start of the year has translated into the Bengals defensive performance in the last two minutes of each playoff game this year.
The Bengals made a game-saving interception in both wins, which set up a challenge against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Facing the best offense in the NFL, the Bengals starting defensive players will get their best opportunity of the year to make a name for themselves.
“A lot of guys came to this locker room wanting to change it,” Reader said. “That's what we’re doing.”
How did the Bengals get to Kansas City? Watch the Bengals Beat Podcast
Postgame wrap: Cincinnati Bengals 19, Tennessee Titans 16
Bengals beat writer Kelsey Conway and pro sports writer Charlie Goldsmith discuss the team's 19-16 win against the Tennessee Titans to advance to the AFC Championship game.
Kareem Elgazzar, Cincinnati Enquirer
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