The Detroit Lions are expecting to get DJ Reader to play this week against the Bucs.
It appears DJ Reader will make his Detroit Lions debut on Sunday for the team’s Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Reader has spent his entire offseason rehabbing from a torn quad suffered in December, and while it looked like there was a chance for him to play in the team’s season opener, the Lions opted to give him that extra week of acclimation to make sure he’s fully ready to go.
“I think the plan was, ultimately if we couldn’t get DJ up last week—or we just didn’t feel like he was quite there—man, Tampa was always the target,” Campbell said. “So, providing there’s no setbacks, we’d like to get him going this week. He looked pretty good in practice.”
Last week, the Lions replaced Reader with a combination of Kyle Peko (37 snaps) and Chris Smith (8 snaps). On Monday, the Lions waived Smith—another clear sign that they intend on playing Reader this week against the Buccaneers.
As for what Reader can bring to the team, it’s no secret. He’s a massive difference-maker when it comes to run defense, as he consistently takes on double teams without giving an inch of ground.
“He’s a vet, he knows exactly what he’s doing out there, he’s really savvy in some things, and he’s very good, very athletic,” defensive tackle Alim McNeill said on Monday, “So I’m really, really, excited to see how DJ does when he comes back.”
Detroit was already one of the best teams in the league at defending the run, and they proved that again on Sunday by holding Kyren Williams to just 50 yards rushing on 18 carries. But with Reader on board, he can free up others to make plays in the backfield, and even provide a little spark in terms of pass rush.
“I think it’s going to be great. We’re definitely going to stuff the run, and we’re going to be able to get after the quarterback, so I think it will be really exciting,” McNeill said.
As for any other injuries suffered during Sunday’s game, there didn’t appear to be anything serious. Campbell said cornerback Carlton Davis was fine after spending some time down on the Rams’ final possession of the game and everyone else who suffered an apparent injury returned to the game.
Detroit will release their initial injury report of the week on Wednesday afternoon.
