The Detroit Lions received fantastic news about defensive end DJ Reader on Sunday, just two days before cutdown day.
The team announced that Reader passed his physical and was activated from the active/physically unable to perform list. Reader spent the entire offseason recovering from a quadriceps injury he sustained in 2023.
After being activated, Reader now has two weeks to practice and prepare for Week 1, which begins Sunday, September 8, with a game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Lions signed Reader as a free agent in the offseason and gave him a two-year, $22 million deal to bolster their defensive line. He will start alongside 2023 breakout player Alim McNeill, and the duo has the potential to be among the best in the NFL.
#Lions announce that DL DJ Reader has passed its medical examination and has been removed from the Active/PUP section.
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) 25 August 2024
Reader, a fifth-round pick of the Houston Texans in 2016, developed into one of the better interior defensive linemen during his time in Houston.
Unfortunately, he struggled with injury issues during his four years with the Cincinnati Bengals, suffering two quadriceps tears, one in each leg. He suffered a left quadriceps tear in 2020 before suffering a right quadriceps tear in 2023.
