When the Washington Redskins and tight end Niles Paul reached an agreement on a brand new contract this offseason, it was widely seen as a move by the team to retain one of its heart-and-soul players.
Having proved that he could be a reliable pass catching option as well as a decent blocking tight end would, Paul was retained to be a complimentary option to starter Jordan Reed.
Sprinkle in Logan Paulsen, who has a reputation as a solid blocking tight end, and the position seemed to be settled for the foreseeable future. The team invested into three of their own drafted players.
Things have become a little bit more tense here since mini-camp started however. Reed, who has the talent to be an elite tight end, stayed on the sidelines for the all of the teams’ offseason practice sessions. He is coming of an injury-filled first two seasons and, despite the talent mentioned, there are concerns that perhaps he will never be a fully reliable player because of his penchant for being injured.
No athlete likes to be branded as “injury prone.” Murmurs that he is “soft” will soon be heard if Reed can’t shake that label and prove that he can stay injury free for a sustained period of time.
Minicamps are not where great players are always made and, for that matter, most great players do just enough in mini-camp to fine tune their bodies and game. The risk of injury before real training camp begins is far too great so, while most veterans certainly work hard, they refuse to put their bodies through the type of grind that the regular season requires.
Reed should use training camp to get back into football shape and prove that he can be the player that the organization thinks he could be.
When the 2013 draft pick is on the field, he gives the team a game-changing space-creator underneath. He is capable of even being spread out wide and used as a “big” receiver. Numbers don’t lie and with Reed on the field, the Redskins offense moves the ball with more efficiency. He opens up the field so that opposing defenses can’t double team wide outs DeSean Jackson or Pierre Garçon when they are the primary target.
In his first two seasons — when healthy — third-round pick from the University of Florida amassed 95 receptions, 964 yards and three touchdowns. If he could stay healthy for a full season, his numbers would project favorably with the game’s best tight ends. The key is to be healthy once again.
If Reed cannot stay on the field, Paul and Paulsen will have even bigger roles. They have already played as a tandem frequently over the past two seasons when Reed was sidelined so the position would be in decent shape. But to maximize the full potential of the trio, Reed will need to be at his best.
The team could look at the waiver wire during training camp/preseason or could make a trade for a serviceable veteran. There are few options out there that could come in and make an immediate difference and a name to remember could be Jermain Gresham.
Gresham, an unsigned free agent, played for current Redskins head coach Jay Gruden when Gruden was the offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals. The tight end had three productive years with Gruden, going to the pro bowl in two of those years and joining Mike Ditka and Keith Jackson as the only tight ends to have 50 receptions in their first three seasons in the league. At 27, Gresham could be a player with a lot of football left to play. His familiarity with Gruden makes this a story to watch if Reed’s health continues to be an issue during training camp and the preseason.