DJ Reader has been removed from the PUP list and can begin practicing immediately.
DJ Reader is coming, y’all.
On Sunday, the Detroit Lions announced that they have activated Reader from the physically unable to perform list after passing the team’s physical. Reader has missed all of Lions training camp as he continues to rehab from a torn quad suffered in December.
This means Reader officially counts against the roster and will have to be part of the 53-man roster when the Lions cut down to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Of course, it also means he’s eligible to play and practice immediately. If he had stayed on the PUP list to start the year, he would have automatically missed the first four games of the season.
Now, that doesn’t exactly mean that Reader will be fully ready to go in two weeks for the opener against the Los Angeles Rams . He will have to spend the next 14 days ramping up to get physically and mentally ready. As coach Dan Campbell pointed out, he’ll take some time to get ready once he’s practicing again.
“I think we may start Reader up too, just start working him into individual (drills),” Campbell said last week.
This is great news for the Lions, obviously. Reader was one of their biggest free agency signings this offseason, and the eight-year veteran has long been considered one of the best nose tackles in football. That could be great news for his supporting cast, like Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, and Aidan Hutchinson.
“He’s a great player and he’s gonna bring so much to our defense,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said back in March. “He’s gonna make so many other things better as well.”
This is also a huge win for Reader himself. He stated a few weeks ago that coming off the PUP list before the start of the season was a personal goal of his.
Lions’ DJ Reader hasn’t participated in team drills during camp yet as he continues to recover from a torn quad. However, he told ESPN that he’s trying to stay off the PUP list during the season. He’s still unsure when he’ll return.
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) July 30, 2024
Congrats to Reader for reaching that goal!