The New York Giants, who have yet to make a significant addition this offseason to a defensive line that needs upgrades, reportedly hosted veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader on a free agent visit Monday.
Reader, who will be 32 this season, is likely the best defensive tackle remaining on the free agent market.
The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Reader was a 2016 fifth-round pick by the Houston Texans. He spent four years with the Texans, four with the Cincinnati Bengals, and the last two with the Detroit Lions.
Reader started all 17 games for Detroit in 2025. In his career, he has played in 137 regular-season games with 128 starts.
Reader’s play in two seasons in Detroit does not appear to have been up to the standards of his previous eight seasons, judging by the fact that his Pro Football Focus and Pro Football and Sports Network scores fell off somewhat.
His PFF grades were in the 60s. Only one time in his first eight seasons did Reader grade below 70.0. His 67.2 PFSN Impact Score was the lowest since PFSN began publishing that data in 2019.
Still, Reader would help a Giant team that has lost both Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson while adding just journeyman Sam Roberts so far this offseason.
Reader is coming off a two-year, $22.8 million contract with Detroit. If the Giants were to sign Reader, they might prefer to wait until after the 2026 NFL Draft to ensure that Reader would not count against the compensatory draft pick formula.
The Giants also recently hosted veteran defensive tackle Shelby Harris on a free agent visit.
