Why D.J. Reader is so important to the Bengals’ run defense

You don't hear his name as often as other players on the Cincinnati Bengals roster simply because of the position he plays but you should.

Defensive tackle D.J. Reader is quietly playing as good as any interior defensive lineman in the NFL. In fact, Reader has been so good against the run, he ranks only behind All-Pro defensive players Aaron Donald and Cam Heyward, according to Pro Football Focus. Reader has also recorded 15 quarterback hurries, four hits and one sack. 

Let that sink in. 

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"He's the cornerstone of it all," defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said of Reader's play this season. 

Reader's role in the Bengals' upcoming game against the San Francisco 49ers will be huge and maybe even more so than any other week for a few reasons.

First, the 49ers have one of the best run schemes in the league coordinated by head coach Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco ranks No. 7 in rushing yards per game with 125.9. Over the course of the last four games where they went 3-1, the 49ers averaged 37.5 rushing plays per game. Even when their opponents know what they are trying to do, teams have struggled to stop San Francisco's potent rushing attack. 

Why is this the case? 

Bengals safety Vonn Bell and Anarumo both said the way Shanahan moves his players around before the snap stresses a defense. The 49ers also use a multitude of players in the run game, including fullback Kyle Juszczyk and wide receiver Deebo Samuel in addition to Elijah Mitchell at running back. 

"It just puts stress on everybody," Anarumo said. "They’ll do fullback jet motions, wide jet motions. They’ll come in and try to really take out the ‘C’ gap defenders. To your question, the linebackers gotta be great with their reads, their eyes. But just like everybody else. Everybody’s got a full hand in helping us stop the run." 

The Bengals signed Reader in free agency last year to fix Cincinnati's issues stopping the run. He's done exactly that as the Bengals rank No. 4 in run defense giving up 92.5 yards per game. Sunday's game will be the ultimate test, though, for how far Cincinnati's run defense has come under Anarumo. 

Reader said he's looking forward to a game that will feature his strengths clogging the middle and stopping the run. While Reader wasn't on the roster the last time the Bengals played the 49ers when San Francisco dismantled Cincinnati in the run game, he knows the importance of his role in the upcoming matchup. In Zac Taylor's second game as head coach of the Bengals, his team surrendered 259 yards on the ground to Shanahan's team - a performance Anarumo and Taylor surely would likely to forget about.

"They use everybody," Reader said of what makes the 49ers' run scheme so challenging.  "Then use everybody blocking to the ball. They do a really good job with the fullback, all the tight ends. The receivers play really well off it. They get dirty and block. A lot of guys are blocking." 

Reader's role will be even more important in this game because he won't have second-year linebacker Logan Wilson behind him. Wilson, the Bengals' top tackler, injured his shoulder in Cincinnati's most recent loss to the Chargers. Taylor declared Wilson out early in the week. 

Without Wilson, the Bengals will look to linebacker Germaine Pratt to take over as the signal-caller for the defense. Anarumo said it will be a  "collective effort" in how they'll go about replacing Wilson's production.