Free agency is usually a good chance for teams to add veteran talent in the hopes of filling in holes and perhaps giving a boost to the team as a whole.
It’s even better when those free agency pickups really pay off. For Cincinnati, their big-money free agent grab, DT D.J. Reader, has been paying huge dividends.
While Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and others have been getting much-deserved recognition, Reader is actually the current highest-graded player on the Bengals at Pro Football Focus through eight games.
Without Reader’s commanding presence in the middle, it’s unlikely Trey Hendrickson has the breakout he’s having on the edge as a pass-rusher. And ditto for linebackers such as Logan Wilson, who are freer to roam and make plays than Bengals ‘backers have been for a long time.
The Bengals had never been big spenders in free agency until two offseason ago when Reader and others came aboard. But this is a new era in Cincinnati. And Reader is right at the forefront of it, especially off of his injury in 2020.
Highest-graded #Bengals through eight games (min. 200 snaps):
1️⃣ D.J. Reader, DI- 87.4
2️⃣ Joe Burrow, QB- 87.1
3️⃣ Ja’Marr Chase, WR- 81.3
4️⃣ Joe Mixon, RB- 80.3
5️⃣ Vonn Bell, S- 76.5 pic.twitter.com/K1UBWMiVAK— PFF CIN Bengals (@PFF_Bengals) November 2, 2021
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