Bengals ‘pushed hard’ to retain DJ Reader before DT signed with Lions

The Cincinnati Bengals apparently didn’t let DJ Reader go in free agency without a fight.

Before he signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions, the Bengals “pushed hard to get him back,” according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, yet came up short on compensation.

Reader is a massive loss for the Bengals, so it’s hard to say exactly what might’ve went wrong. The obvious candidate is the fact Reader’s recovering from a torn quad that ended his season, the second time he’s had that issue since joining the Bengals.

Whatever caused the Bengals to come up short, they now have a serious problem on the interior of the defensive line even after signing Sheldon Rankins, outbidding another team to get him.