BREAKING NEWS: Cincinnati reveals one star who has been and could be a very important part of our team

Duke Tobin clearly would love for the Bengals to re-sign DJ Reader as he gets set to enter NFL free agency

The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway was able to discuss the upcoming offseason with Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel and de facto general manager Duke Tobin

They discussed a wide range of topics, and eventually, they landed on defensive tackle DJ Reader and his future with the team.

Reader is set to enter NFL free agency while rehabbing from a torn right quad muscle sustained on December 16th in the Bengals’ overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Here’s what Tobin had to say about the Bengals’ defensive captain.

“DJ’s been great for us,” he said. “He’s the defensive Ted Karras. He brings other people along with him. He makes people believe; he holds people accountable. He’s a great leader for us and he’s been a really good player for us. It’s a shame he got hurt again, I know he’s going to attack that rehab and we think he’ll be back and we think he’ll be just as good.

“In terms of financially, what the dollars and what we’re able to pay, that’s all to be determined. Do we want him back, yeah. He’s a good player for us, we want all of our good players back, and he’s not at the end of his career. We’ll see what happens as we go. But he has been and could be a very important part of our team going forward.”

Unfortunately, he was injured again late in the season in 2023, and his absence was felt immediately.

 

The Bengals are heading toward a precarious position when it comes to cap space. Joe Burrow is the highest-paid player in NFL history, and while his contract is structured in a way that is helpful, it’s still a pretty big chunk of the pie. So while the Bengals do have a lot of cap space now, they’re staring down the barrel of not only extending one of the NFL’s top-two wide receivers in Ja’Marr Chase but also want to keep Tee Higgins, a top-10 wide receiver, in stripes as well for longer than just a one-year franchise tag.

If they decide that’s impossible, maybe that money could go toward Reader. Considering his contributions over the last four years and how he frees up everyone playing behind him, Lou Anarumo and Zac Taylor would love to keep him if the price is right.