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Giants Sign D.J. Reader to $12.5 M Deal

5/6/2026

Summary

Giants Sign Reader

The New York Giants signed veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader to a $12.5 million contract.
The deal can rise to $15.5 million if Reader meets performance incentives.
Reader, who turns 32 on July 1, replaces Dexter Lawrence after the Giants traded the former to the Cincinnati Bengals.
He started all 17 games for the Detroit Lions, recording 28 tackles and finishing with 328 career tackles, 12.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

Summary

Giants Trade Lawrence

John Harbaugh hired Dennard Wilson as defensive coordinator to run a Baltimore-style scheme anchored by a nose tackle.
The Giants allowed a league-worst 5.3 yards per carry in 2025, with D.J. Reader posting a 71.7% double-team rate and a 26.0% run-stop win rate below league average and Dexter Lawrence’s 31.5% the prior year.
Trading Dexter Lawrence freed more than $12.5 million in salary-cap space, which the team redirected to veteran signings.

Summary

Reader Joins Giants

Reader will leave Detroit and sign a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the New York Giants.
He played 1,091 snaps and missed only two games across the 2024-25 seasons for Detroit.
The Lions released both high-snap defensive tackles, Reader and Roy Lopez, with Lopez signing with the Arizona Cardinals.
Detroit added free-agent Jay Tufele, raising its defensive tackle total to nine after drafting Skyler Gill-Howard in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

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Giants Sign Reader

The New York Giants signed veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader to a $12.5 million contract.
The deal can rise to $15.5 million if Reader meets performance incentives.
Reader, who turns 32 on July 1, replaces Dexter Lawrence after the Giants traded the former to the Cincinnati Bengals.
He started all 17 games for the Detroit Lions, recording 28 tackles and finishing with 328 career tackles, 12.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

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