When the New York Giants stunned the NFL world with their pre-draft trade involving their Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, Philadelphia Eagles fans thought they were out of the woods with dealing with that already stellar defensive line.
That hope didn't last too long, as the Giants have found their solution with the signing of free agent defensive tackle DJ Reader, as first reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Reader is on his fourth NFL team, having started in 128 of 137 career games, with his most recent stop with the Detroit Lions over the last two years.
Eagles fans might remember Reader as he played last season in Philly's 16-9 win over the Lions. He played pretty well that night as he had three tackles in 34 snaps, but made life miserable for the Eagles' offense that struggled most of the night.
DJ Reader makes the Giants better and causes problems for the Eagles
Reader is no slouch of a player as he has been a consistent performer over the years. He is at his best with rushing the passer, but can also cause some issues in the middle of the line with the running game.
This is an instant upgrade for the Giants as they add a new starting defensive tackle into the picture. It will only cause more issues for the Eagles as they gameplan against a team that has drastically improved over the offseason with new head coach and former Eagles special teams coordinator John Harbaugh.
More eyes will be on the interior of the offensive line for Philly, which was a problem last season. Left guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens are Pro Bowl talents, but struggled to stay healthy last year, while right guard Tyler Steen was able to stay on the field, but went through his own growing pains in Year 1 on the job.
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The Eagles are hoping that Dickerson, Jurgens, and Steen will stack up well against a veteran like Reader and not let him get in Jalen Hurts' face. New York is starting to look more and more like a team that will compete hard in 2026, which will jeopardize the Eagles' potential third consecutive NFC East division title.
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