AWESOME: DJ Reader is welcome with open arms

Large, awful Detroit signed DJ Reader on Thursday, and the Lions released his introduction package right away.

Apart from the Pride of Detroit press conference that we previously discussed, wherein the team provided an

optimistic update regarding his injury—a torn quadricep—many resources are currently accessible online to pique

fans’ interest in their potent new disruptor in the middle of the defense. Some photos of Reader (and the other new

Lions) signing official contracts, meeting the staff, and putting pen to paper in Allen Park can be found in the

behind-the-scenes photo gallery on the team’s official website.

official YouTube account. You can hear for yourself that Reader is “super happy” to be lining up with another

Carolina person like Alim McNeill (and that Carolina has the greatest athletes in the country). Our own Erik Schlitt

covered a lot of the best statements in his roster impact analysis of the deal.

He’s thrilled to be playing for Dan Campbell, and meeting the head coach in person was inspiring: It’s true. It’s like a

wave that passes over you when you realize someone is genuinely interested in you and is communicating with you.

When they are speaking with you, they give you the cold shoulder. You nearly get chills from it. I thought that was

the nicest part because it makes you feel like, “Alright, I’ll really run through a wall for this guy.”

Team reporter Dannie Rogers conducted a five-minute interview that was also uploaded on the official YouTube

channel, in addition to the scheduled press conference. Rogers began by inquiring about Reader’s tweets during the

team’s most recent playoff run, Detroit. “On Twitter, it appeared that you were the largest fan of the Detroit Lions

during this postseason. Could you analyze the tweets? Rogers highlighted how nicely things went in his favor to get

to Detroit following the big guy’s laudatory assessment of the Lions’ success: “This was almost something you

manifested.” When he accepts, the reader’s eyes light up:

“That’s crazy, how does that happen?” I suppose that’s just the way life is. You know, you see wonderful things and

you’re surrounded by nice people, and sometimes you want to be a part of them. I’m glad I had the opportunity.

During the interview, Reader discusses his love for his family, how he (a former Clemson Tiger) can’t wait to mess

with NC State’s Alim McNeill (“you know, can’t hold that against him”) as a fellow Carolina guy, and how his

excitement over the Lions’ playoff success unexpectedly led to his signing with Detroit. It seems that Reader’s son is

also excited about the move: “He is quite excited because blue is his favorite color. He’s thrilled to be a Lion and is

pleased right now. “You know the lion’s the king of the jungle,” he says. He claimed he was formerly a tiger but is

now thrilled to be a lion.

For the Lions’ defense, almost everyone is excited about the potential that aligning Alim McNeill with DJ Reader

presents. In their most recent Dungeon of Doom podcast, Kyle Meinke and Ben Raven of MLive expressed great

anticipation for the defensive line’s appearance in 2024. Meinke can hardly contain his emotions (listen to the 39-

minute recording and go to 10:23):

What a powerful-looking man! Imagine that player, who Pro Football Focus ranked as one of the league’s best ten

defensive tackles last season, playing next to Alim McNeill, who was ranked similarly highly. That, in my opinion, is

how you improve in free agency—by developing your strengths. It’s about matching what you have, and they have a

pretty strong defensive lineman who plays the run in Alim McNeill. Detroit finished second against the run the

previous season, and after losing some weight, he improved significantly as a pass rusher. The season was a

breakthrough. Had he not sustained an injury late in the season, he could have made it to the Pro Bowl.

You’ve paired him with DJ Reader now. This bull rusher is strong, really strong. A guy in the midst, I guess. Like,

offensive lines are going to have an issue. They’re going to cause a lot of damage. They will undoubtedly defend the

run (laughs), which is where it all begins… One of the best guys in the league is DJ Reader. Align the piece of meat

with Alim McNeill. That is almost 700 pounds of bulk. The action up front in the middle of the Lions’ defensive line

is going to be insane. When was the last time we could say that about Detroit, I don’t recall.

With Reader joining the Lions on Thursday, even Mike Valenti of 97.1 The Ticket was excited: “I like this.” I think

this is the best off-season acquisition you made. Valenti was optimistic about the team’s approach to the defensive

line after going over the reasoning. “I agree. I had to get well right away. Although I would have preferred an EDGE,

a well-balanced defensive tackle will always have my respect. that is, a man who is more than just a run-stuffer. He is

more than an intruder. You can use him as a passing down player, and he can assist you. The readers that