Of the many notable injuries for the Cincinnati Bengals ahead of training camp (Chidobe Awuzie, La’el Collins, others), DJ Reader’s was something of an unknown.
That got an update on Tuesday, though, with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com noting that Reader continues to be held out of practices due to gout involving a toe. Despite this, the writeup still says that Reader will be ready to go for training camp.
Hobson also got a fun quote from Joe Burrow on the same day, which shares the quarterback’s thoughts on Reader’s importance to the program.
“D.J’s been one of those key guys that we brought in early on to help build this culture,” Burrow said. “Everybody sees what he does on the field. That’s not really what I’m talking about. The first time you meet D.J, it’s like someone you’ve known for a long time. He’s someone who’s very personable. Those are the kinds of guys that we love here because they help build that locker room culture and build that unity that you need to win.” …
While this sounds like a minor thing for one of the league’s most underrated players, keep in mind Reader only made it into five games in 2020 and just 10 last year during the regular season.
Fans now have a why if they notice Reader isn’t working, with something to monitor about the defensive centerpiece over the course of the summer, too.
