Big shoes to fill.
Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle DJ Reader was a force in his four seasons in stripes. During some of the most successful seasons the Bengals have had in recent memory,
Reader was there as the anchor in the middle. With Reader moving on to the Detroit Lions, the Bengals are now tasked with replacing his nearly 38 snaps per game.
The free agent signing of Sheldon Rankins was more to address interior pass rush than to replace Reader’s run-stopping ability, so the Bengals turned to the NFL Draft to look for their new nose tackle.
They drafted Kris Jenkins Jr. in the second round and then followed up with McKinnley Jackson in the third and it sounds like defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo plans to rely on both players early on.
Anarumo was recently on The Growler Podcast with Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic and Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network. He talked about calling on multiple players, mainly his two newest rookies, to step up and fill Reader’s shoes.
“We’re trying to see how we can replace DJ with maybe a couple of different pieces, Anarumo said. “Two young guys who will play big roles in that with Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson, so, you know, that stuff will get all ironed out in training camp.”
Jenkins was one of the highest-rated run defenders in the entire 2024 defensive tackle class, and his power, when paired with his length, should make him an ideal run defender in the modern NFL.
Jackson is an ideal build for a true nose tackle, and in college, he actually penetrated more than Jenkins. Reader wasn’t consistently in quarterbacks’ faces, but he plugged the middle and was a top run defender.
When an NFL team drafts a player, they certainly bank on the pick being a success, but Anarumo is aware that both players have to translate to the NFL, and he will learn a lot more in the coming weeks as players put on pads and work against NFL talent.
“It’s hard to judge any player in the spring, especially o-line and d-line. Their jobs are required to hit somebody every play,” Anarumo said. “So while those guys have done everything we’ve asked of them, they’ve done a good job with what they’ve been presented to do. It’ll show itself as we get through training camp.”
Anarumo has proven to be one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. After a down year in 2023, developing a plan to control the line of scrimmage will go a long way in helping his unit return to form.
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