With the Philadelphia Eagles Week 1 opener approaching, Redskins tight end Jordan Reed is still in concussion protocol. Will he play in the opener?
After six NFL seasons, Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed has yet to play a full 16-game schedule. On Sunday, the only team he’s ever played for is slated to meet their longtime rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, and again, there’s some concern about Reed’s availability.
He returned to Redskins practice on September 4th, but according to a recent phone call Washington’s head coach Jay Gruden had with the Philly media, Reed is still in concussion protocol. Will he play on Sunday?
We all know there’s a desire by Washington’s head man to play a physical style of football. Last season, they added one of the best running backs the game has seen recently in Adrian Peterson. Gruden also likes physical wide receivers who can block and, often, seems to want to get the ball to his slot receivers.
Reed has had his ups and downs against Philly and has been responsible for some inconsistent showings. In the nine career games where he’s registered a catch, he’s hauled in 40 receptions for 352 yards. He’s reached the end zone four times, and he’s moved the chains 24 times.
Certainly, none of that has anything to do with Sunday’s contest, but trust and believe everyone knows there’s a high likelihood that Reed can change a game’s momentum. His best game versus Philly in 2015 where he racked up nine receptions for 129 yards, two touchdowns, and eight first downs. Hopefully, that won’t happen on Sunday, but you can trust and believe the Eagles defense will know where Reed is at all times (if he plays).
Injuries are always a concern in professional football, and the league has put a premium on limiting head injuries and concussions (as it should). At the time of this writing, there’s no clear answer on whether Reed will play or not, but trust and believe this is something everyone will be monitoring as game one approaches. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.