Jordan Reed suffered a concussion during an Aug. 22 preseason game from a helmet-to-helmet hit from Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal. Three weeks into the regular season and the Washington Redskins tight end has yet to be cleared from the concussion protocol.
Already ruled out for Monday night’s tilt against the Chicago Bears, there is concern from the Redskins and the league that Reed may not be able to return to the field to resume his playing career, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Reed has seven documented concussions since 2010 during his college playing days at Florida. He also has had a series of other injuries that have prevented the talented tight end from playing in a full 16 games during a season during his NFL career.
Washington was counting on Reed to be their primary passing target for quarterback Case Keenum, much like he was for Kirk Cousins and Alex Smith previously. It appeared Reed had put a toe injury behind him that hampered him each of the past two seasons. However, during the third preseason game, he was on the receiving end of a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit.
Neal was later fined $28.075 for the illegal hit that he was penalized for on the field. Reed, however, has since struggled to even participate in practice. Despite optimism from head coach Jay Gruden, Reed has suffered symptoms that has prevented him from suiting up in either of the first two games of the regular season, and their upcoming game against Chicago.
Jordan Reed arrived to the Florida campus in Gainesville as a quarterback, but was converted into a tight end in 2009. From the start he displayed an uncanny ability to run routes and catch passes. Those skills showed immediately after the Redskins drafted him in the fourth round in 2013.
His best season came in 2015 when he had 87 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, guiding the Redskins alongside Cousins to the NFC East division title. However, he hasn’t been able to duplicate that success, but not because of inability on the field. Yet, his availability. He has now missed 20 games (and counting) since 2016, including 10 in 2017 due to various injuries.
His latest, a concussion, may be too much for him to overcome.
