ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions are hosting defensive tackle D.J. Reader on a free-agent visit this week, according to NFL Network.
Reader is considered one of the top nose tackles in the league. Tipping the scales at 6-foot-3 and 335 pounds, Reader is an eight-year veteran who has started 96 games for Houston and Cincinnati. He’s a terrific run stuffer who has affected the pass too, racking up at least 30 pressures in three straight seasons. He was the No. 11 interior defender overall last year, according to Pro Football Focus.
He’s most famous for being at the heart of the officiating controversy in Dallas this past season. On a 2-point play that could have given the Lions a lead with 23 seconds left, Skipper ran onto the field and used his hands to relay the formational signals into the huddle. One arm was raised in the air with a flexed bicep, Detroit’s signal for a jumbo package, while the other hand was shaped like a gun near his chest, the signal for 12 personnel, a package that includes one running back, two tight ends and two receivers on the field.
Referee Brad Allen interpreted these signs as Skipper reporting as an eligible receiver, and ignored left Taylor Decker, who was standing directly in front of him to report eligibility.
