We all knew DJ Reader had a market. However, it’s hard to really gauge his value, coming off a major, season-ending injury and entering the back half of his career.
Now 29 years old, Reader has been among the best nose tackles in football and was just that prior to joining the Bengals from Houston a few seasons ago. The Bengals made him the highest-paid player at his position, and his impact on the team’s run defense more than proved his worth.
However, this time around, the Bengals will have more mouths to feed and may not be able to pay to keep the star.