Today’s NFL is a passing league where even the tight end position has transformed into bigger wide receivers technically moving inside. Gone are the days of slower prodding big guys who were asked to block more than catch.
Tight end greats like Kellen Winslow and the recently retired Tony Gonzalez helped pave the way for today’s stars such as Jason Whitten (Dallas Cowboys), Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots), Antonio Gates (San Diego Chargers) and Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints). These guys have helped usher in the big play ability that most, if not all; of the league’s teams seek at the position.
Last year the Redskins thought they had found a player in Jordan Reed, who could be discussed alongside the aforementioned greats. Perhaps over time, they still will. Reed possesses tremendous catching and route-running abilities and is seen as a nightmare matchup for most linebackers.
Unfortunately, the one thing that has derailed Reed’s growth at the position is his inability to shake the injury bug that shortened his promising rookie campaign of 2013, during which he missed the final seven games due to a concussion (his third of the season).
Injuries have besieged Reed going back to his days at the University of Florida. The quarterback-to-tight-end neophyte missed playing time in two of his three seasons there with various injuries.
As a member of the Redskins he missed Organized Team Activities in 2013 with a knee/quad injury. He missed the start of training camp with a foot sprain. He was inactive and didn’t play against the Oakland Raiders with a quad contusion. He did play through a hip pointer against the Dallas Cowboys the following week but ended the season with a concussion sustained in Week 12 versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
Just this past week in the team’s regular season opener against the Houston Texans, Reed hurt himself again as he awkwardly landed after trying to avoid a defender by jumping over him before being tackled. Could this be a case of “Here we go again”?
When he tried to get up after the tackle, he fell back to the ground grabbing his hamstring in pain.
NFL players play with muliple aches and pains all the time… probably more so than any other sport on the planet. So there is no need to question Reed’s “manhood.” The consistent issue with him is durability and the opportunities he has missed to really grow into his position. The team had envisioned the second-year man becoming an underneath threat that would open up the field for quarterback Robert Griffin, III while allowing wide outs DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garçon to stretch the defense on both sides of the field.
With Reed being out, the duty falls on Niles Paul who, without his one major error — a fumble — against Houston, played well, pulling in four receptions for 86 yards. That’s a 21.5 per catch average which is just what the team needs in Reeds absence.
Only time will tell if Reed will become the dependable threat that the Redskins envision. For now, he is listed as “Out” on the injury report and will be for an unknown amount of time… it just depends on the severity of the hamstring injury. It would be no surprise if he missed at least the next three games and it could be even longer even though head coach Jay Gruden said this week that it was “a moderate strain.”
Hopefully it will be a moderate and not extended period of time before the young tight end gets back on the field.