Colts named best landing spot for top remaining free agent defender
One analyst named the Indianapolis Colts a top landing spot for one of the best available free agent defenders.
The Indianapolis Colts were named a "best landing spot" for one of the top remaining free agent defenders. Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus recently selected destinations for the top remaining free agents. When it came to defensive tackle DJ Reader, he was paired with the Colts .
"Adding Reader would give the Colts defense a key piece familiar with the system and bolster a defense that struggled against interior runs," Cameron wrote. "Indianapolis finished the 2025 campaign ranked 27th in PFF run-defense grade (53. 8) when facing A and B gap runs.
" Reader is currently ranked as the third-best free agent defender still available on Gregg Rosenthal's big board. Reader spent four seasons in Cincinnati from 2020 through 2023, playing under Lou Anarumo. That familiarity with his defense would help Reader hit the ground running.
His most productive years as a pass rusher came from 2021 to 2023, when he generated 30-plus pressures each year. In 2025, Reader recorded 20 pressures. Against the run is where Reader has often made an impact.