DJ Reader gone after this season

[*SHRacerX*]

(05-07-2023, 09:07 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Doesn't PFF grade based on if you "win" against your guy rather than if you actually affect the play in any way? Like if the play is the QB immediately rolling out to his right, but a DE "beats" the LT by getting past them quickly (but the LT doesn't care because he knows the play is going away from him) it's still considered a pass rushing "win" by the DE even if he didn't actually pressure the QB. 

I think the grade also misses probably the most important thing with Reader. The grade isn't accumulative, so say Reader has a (just throwing out a number) 80.0 pass rushing grade, and another guy has a 78.5 pass rushing grade. Reader only played 38.3% of the defensive snaps. If the other guy was just slightly worse graded, but did it over say... 65% of the snaps, isn't that immensely more valuable since that's 26.7% less of the defensive snaps that aren't being played by a significantly inferior backup?

Reader needs to stay healthy. 

He is a difference maker when he's playing, but has only played 1,246 defensive snaps as a Bengal in 3 years out of somewhere around 3,200 possible. That means way too many snaps played by his backup and that backup's backup. I can't imagine he will get more durable when he's in his 30s.

Agreed on his health, and maybe that will help the next contract be more affordable, but what you said about % of PR snaps can also be said in his favor for run defense snaps.  He changes the way teams attack on the ground.  I also think in his pass rushing by simply not being moved and closing the pocket directly in front of the QB helps the outside rush and 3T.

Like I said, I guess I just rank his worth as higher than most.  I also don't see a replacement for him anywhere on the roster.