The Detroit Lions, thanks to a hypercompetitive culture and a young core of talented players on both sides of the ball have quickly ascended into the realm of legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
After falling short of the Super Bowl this past January, falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, the Lions’ addition of interior defensive lineman D.J. Reader is the type of move that could inch Detroit closer to the promised land.
NFL analyst Mike Tanier believes Reader will make a significant impact along the Lions’ defensive line, filling a pressing need on an already dominant unit.
“Reader is going to be a force multiplier for Aidan Hutchinson and fellow interior lineman Alim McNeill,” Tanier writes for the Too Deep Zone. “Davenport has been a toolsy tease for most of his career, but he’s a handful to block 1-on-1 and could end up scooping up lots of quarterbacks who are flushed straight into him.”
D.J. Reader arrives in the Motor City, after posting 34 quarterback pressures during the 2023 season as potentially the ideal complement alongside Hutchinson who is already one of the game’s most disruptive edge presences.
Hutchinson posted 11.5 sacks in his second NFL season, but if it becomes more difficult for offensive lines to double-team him, with Reader playing alongside him, he could see a significant uptick in his sack totals in 2024.