The New York Giants reached an agreement Tuesday with veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader on a two-year contract worth $12.5 million, with the potential to escalate to $15.5 million through incentives, filling the void left by the team’s trade of three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The signing was reported by NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Garafolo added that Reader will earn $6.25 million in 2026 if he plays all 17 games. The deal was confirmed Tuesday afternoon by multiple outlets, including the Associated Press and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Reader, who turns 32 on July 1, fills the void created by trading Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati prior to the 2026 NFL Draft last month. The Giants hosted Reader for a workout on April 13 while uncertainty about Lawrence’s future with the team remained unresolved. Lawrence, who was dealt to Cincinnati in exchange for the No. 10 overall selection, had been one of the anchor pieces of New York’s defensive front for several seasons.
Reader brings extensive experience to his new role. In 137 career games with the Texans, Bengals, and Lions since Houston selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Reader has accumulated 328 tackles and 12.5 sacks. Reader played 1,091 snaps and missed only two games over his two seasons in Detroit, where he served as an important presence on the defensive line. In those two seasons, he totaled three sacks, 51 combined tackles, and four tackles for loss.
Reader is part of a rebuilt defense for new Giants head coach John Harbaugh, after the unit ranked 30th out of 32 teams last season. New York has been active in attempting to upgrade that side of the ball. The signing comes after the Giants addressed the interior of the defensive line with sixth-round pick Bobby Jamison-Travis out of Auburn and another veteran signing in Shelby Harris. Reader is expected to join Harris as a starting pairing on the interior line.
The Giants were in desperate need of interior line help and acquired what was widely considered the best remaining player available on the market at the position. The organization also drafted Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese with the fifth overall pick and added Tremaine Edmunds as a free agent linebacker, indicating a wide-ranging effort to overhaul the defensive personnel under Harbaugh.
A former Clemson product drafted in 2016, Reader has shown durability and consistency throughout his decade-long career. He has played in at least 14 games in seven of his ten seasons, and his experience in multiple defensive schemes — including the Bengals’ and Lions’ systems — gives New York’s new coaching staff a reliable and versatile interior anchor to build around heading into 2026.
