We will give former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh — on the surface, he does not seem like a petty man hell-bent on revenge and destroying the hopes and dreams of his former team.
Beneath the surface, however, Harbaugh has seemed to do everything he can to undermine his old team’s offseason moves as the new head coach of the New York Giants, including pillaging their roster in free agency and now, possibly, stealing what would be a critical member of their defensive front.
“Sources: The Giants hosted veteran DT DJ Reader for a visit today,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on Monday. “Reader, who also recently visited the Ravens, has started 128 career games and has been a consistent presence on the interior.”
The Ravens have nothing but unanswered questions on the interior defensive line due to Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike’s injury status still being very much undefined after he missed 15 games in 2025 due to a severe neck injury.
Reader, 6-foot-3 and 330 pounds, would be a critical addition for the Ravens — essentially the best backup plan money could buy at a projected market value of a 2-year, $7.3 million contract.
In the case of Reader, it might be smart for the Ravens to show him that projection and offer him something close to that total for a 1-year contract — something along the lines of a 1-year, $5 million contract.
Unique Athlete Who Became NFL Standout
Reader was a 2-sport athlete at Clemson, where he was also a first baseman and pitcher on the baseball team for 1 season.
The Houston Texans drafted Reader in the 5th round (No. 166 overall) of the 2016 NFL draft, and he became the full-time starter in his 2nd season, when he had a career-high 47 tackles.
After 4 seasons with the Texans, Reader cashed in big during free agency by signing a 4-year, $53 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his 2nd season with the Bengals, Reader was 1 of the key players on a defense that helped lift the team to an AFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance.
Reader signed a 2-year, $22 million contract with the Detroit Lions before the 2024 season and has approximately $78.9 million in career earnings in 10 seasons.
Madubuike’s Injury Status Keeps Ravens in Limbo
If Madubuike returns and is healthy, it could mean the Ravens have the NFL’s elite inside-outside combo in terms of a pass rush after signing NFL All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson — Reader’s teammate on the Bengals — to a 4-year, $112 million free-agent contract.
Having Madubuike, Hendrickson, and Reader might be an embarrassment of riches.
With the Ravens staying tight-lipped about where Madubuike is in his recovery, we got a little glimpse into what might be going on behind the scenes with offseason workouts starting this week.
“I can’t speak in terms of exact attendance,” Ravens Strength & Conditioning Coach Scott Elliott said on April 8. “But I will tell you that (Madubuike) is working his tail off. As I’m sure you’ve seen online, he is in great shape … with (Madubuike) throughout the last year, it’s been constant communication, and I’m just excited to see where it goes.”
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