Report: Bengals retool defense with Reader, Waynes

The Cincinnati Bengals are making a rare free-agent splash by signing defensive tackle D.J. Reader to a four-year contract worth $53 million, the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson reports.

At $13.25 million per season, Reader will slot in as the sixth-highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL by annual average salary.

The Bengals also agreed to sign former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes to a three-year, $42-million contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Reader was a hot commodity on the open market after putting together a disruptive 2019 campaign for the Houston Texans that included 52 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He'll pair with Geno Atkins to give the Bengals a formidable duo on the interior of their defensive line.

The 25-year-old Reader played four seasons in Houston after entering the league as a fifth-round pick out of Clemson in 2016.

Waynes, a former first-round pick, had seven interceptions over five seasons in Minnesota.

The Bengals will hope Reader and Waynes can help dig them out of the NFL's basement. Cincinnati went a league-worst 2-14 last year and ranked 29th in defense.