The Baltimore Ravens beefed up their run game by signing star running back Derrick Henry to a two-year deal worth up to $20 million, making the Cincinnati Bengals‘ next free agency move imperative.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader just concluded a contract year with a season-ending injury, but his ability to stop the run is now even more crucial for the Bengals if they want to compete in the AFC North.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ run defense sufferers immensely without D.J. Reader
Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader plays a massive part in the Bengals’ rush defense, but his impact goes further than that. When he is on the field, teams struggle to run the ball so much that they shy away from it and opt to pass more often.
The Bengals run defense has struggled without D.J. Reader on the field over the last two seasons, allowing 0.6 more yards before contact per carry.
Reader has generated 10 defensive stops this season, tied for the 2nd-most among IDL.#RuleTheJungle https://t.co/KAh89pVvJl pic.twitter.com/gSfIgxKgoh
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 27, 2022
His impact as an interior pass rusher is not what he’s known for, but he is one of the best in the league at causing pressure from the inside when he is healthy.
D.J. Reader has also been effective as an interior pass rusher this season. He leads all IDL with a 15.6% pressure rate this season (min. 40 pass rushes).
📸: The rest of the top 5#RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/xm0PBDwtm9
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 27, 2022
The Bengals only played three games without D.J. Reader in 2023, but the difference in the rush defense was notable. They went from giving up 3.9 yards per carry and 84.4 rushing yards per game on just under 22 carries per game to giving up 4.4 yards per carry and 115.3 rushing yards per game on 26 carries per game.
Fellow Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Zach Carter explained the difficulties the Bengals face without D.J. Reader in an article from The Athletic.
“DJ is one of the best interior defenders in the league, period,” defensive tackle Zach Carter said. “Missing him, of course, they are going to try us. We know that. We just have to come out with a mindset for the rest of this season, starting this week, they get nothing.”
Should the Bengals let Reader walk in free agency, they will have to implement this mindset on a much greater scale.
One of the league’s top running backs being present in the AFC North makes a D.J. Reader re-sign that much more important
The Bengals already had to face one of the league’s top running backs twice a year as the Cleveland Browns are the home of star running back Nick Chubb. Now, the Bengals will have to face off against Derrick Henry and the already heavy run game of the Baltimore Ravens.
Henry will now run alongside quarterback Lamar Jackson and fellow running back Keaton Mitchell in what will likely be one of the fiercest rushing attacks in the NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens already led the NFL in rushing yards by a wide margin in 2023 with 2,661 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns. The next-best rushing team, the Chicago Bears, was over 260 yards behind the Ravens.
The Ravens’ 26 touchdowns were just one away from being tied for the league’s most. That NFL-leading rushing attack is now home to one of the league’s most consistent rushers of the football.
Derrick Henry, who had a 2,000-yard season just a few years ago, has rushed for over 1,000 yards in five of the last six seasons. He had 937 rushing yards in 2021 despite playing in just eight games that season.
Henry has 90 rushing touchdowns in his NFL career, and he hasn’t had under double-digit touchdown numbers since 2017, which was his second year in the league.
His 4.2 yards per carry in 2023 was tied for his lowest yards per carry since coming into the league, which might indicate a drop-off. Despite a potential drop-off, Henry will likely be able to take less of a load which will keep him fresher throughout the season.
A re-signing of D.J. Reader will be imperative for the Bengals AFC North title hopes despite Henry reaching the tail-end of his career. Henry is still a premier back in the NFL who has proven time and again that he does not follow the typical career path of an NFL running back.
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