Michigan’s Allen Park G Kevin Zeitler, an unrestricted free agent, has joined the Detroit Lions, the team announced Monday. The terms of the contract were not revealed.
Zeitler joins the Detroit Lions after playing for the Baltimore Ravens for the previous three seasons (2021–2023), where he started all 47 of his games. After 2023, he was selected for his first Pro Bowl selection.
Zeitler began his NFL career in 2012, when the Cincinnati Bengals selected him in the first round (27th overall) out of Wisconsin. He played for the Bengals from 2012 to 2016, the Cleveland Browns from 2017 to 2018, the New York Giants from 2019 to 20, and the Ravens. Throughout his career, he has participated in 182 games (181 starts) and has started seven postseason games.
The Detroit Lions announced today that they have signed unrestricted free agent DL DJ Reader. Contract terms were not disclosed.
Reader joins the Lions after spending the last four seasons (2020-23) with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2023, Reader started all 14 games in which he appeared and produced 34 tackles (20 solo), seven quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one pass defense and one fumble recovery.
He was originally selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Clemson, spending the first four seasons of his career (2016-19) with the team. In 105-career games (96 starts), he has totaled 277 tackles (149 solo), 44 quarterback hits, 23 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
