Should Jordan Reed be used differently or more often?

Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed looked like one of the NFL’s most electrifying tight ends last season when he caught 45 passes for 499 yards in nine games of action. Injuries, especially a concussion that cut his season short, prevented Reed from putting up monster numbers, but he looked fantastic when he did see the field, hauling in an additional three touchdown passes to show off his red zone skills. The Redskins showcased his explosiveness and versatility despite the struggles of quarterback Robert Griffin III, and Reed looked like a potential breakout star in his second season in the league.

Niles Paul was the breakout story at TE for the Redskins earlier this season, while injuries caused Reed to miss five more games this season. Per Pro Football Focus, the Florida product has taken just 346 snaps this season, and he’s seen his role consistently slip ever since his best game of the season. Back in Week 13, Reed dominated the Indianapolis Colts to the tune of nine catches for 123 yards, averaging 13.7 yards per reception and taking a season-high 51 snaps. Since then, his snap counts have been at 49, 33, and 19 in last week’s upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s important to note that because Reed hasn’t been blocking well, his snap counts in the running game are bound to be reduced substantially.

Reed’s role in the offense under Jay Gruden has clearly declined, and while part of that has to do with Paul’s emergence, it is interesting to note that he has still been the fourth-most targeted player in the passing game. And yes, he has received more targets than Paul. That said, we expected him to have an even bigger role in the offense given the ability he displayed as a rookie, and, in general, promising rookie pass-catchers tend to build on their success.

It seems as if Reed hasn’t been used correctly this season, because he is averaging a meager 9.6 yards per reception, which is the lowest on the team among players with at least 20 targets (five qualifiers). He’s been almost like a safety valve in the offense with a 74.5% catch rate, though that’s one percentage point lower than Paul’s, who is averaging a hefty 13.2 yards per reception.

Why are the Redskins throwing shorter passes to Reed than Paul? There’s a pretty big disparity between the yards per reception averages of both players, and it’s unclear why they would favor deeper passes to Paul. It could be because Paul spent more time catching passes when Kirk Cousins was at quarterback, as Cousins averaged about two more yards per completion than either Colt McCoy or RG3.

That said, the Redskins didn’t really use Reed on deep passes last season, though he did average more yards per reception (11.1). Per Advanced Football Analytics, Reed was targeted on throws of at least 15 yards just 6.8% of the time last season, and that is at 10.9% this season. His numbers, including his catch rate despite the higher YPR, were all better last season, save for two things. Per Pro Football Focus, Reed committed four drops last season and forced just four missed tackles, but he’s dropped just two passes this season with seven missed tackles forced to his credit.

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Although the numbers are worse this season, Jordan Reed has still managed to catch almost everything thrown at him, is averaging 7.2 yards per target, and has been even more sure-handed. With just two drops, the guy has shown some of the stickiest mitts at the position this year, and he’s showing off his playmaking ability by forcing those missed tackles. That has led to roughly the same number of yards after the catch per reception, and, since his YPR is lower this year, it means that more than half of the yards he has on every catch are the result of his work after he makes the reception.

Would the Redskins be better off using Reed in a role that allows him to make plays downfield? It may seem beneficial to have him play closer to the line of scrimmage since he’s so good at forcing missed tackles, generating YAC, catching passes in his area (his career 75.4% catch rate), and not dropping passes, but maybe the Redskins could benefit by allowing him to show off some more versatility. At the very least, he should have received more red zone looks, as Reed has not caught a single touchdown pass this season after nabbing three in just 59 targets last year. With roughly one less target per game here in 2014, Reed has become a back-burner option in the offense, and the declining snap counts are troubling.

It will be interesting to see how big of a role Reed plays in the Redskins season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, because he barely played last week. After three big games in Weeks 6, 7, and 8 with at least five receptions in each game, Reed has caught more than three passes in a game just once; that 100-yard outburst against Indianapolis. This is a guy who has shown he can make defenders miss and consistently move the chains, so maybe the Redskins should try to expand his role or give him more targets. There’s an awful lot of talent and potential here, and hopefully the Redskins are able to tap into it. If they are, we can only hope that he’s able to stay healthy after missing several games in his first two seasons.

There are other reasons for Reed’s decline in usage, and one of them is the fact that RG3 isn’t as big of a fan of throwing it to the tight end as McCoy (or most other quarterbacks for that matter). But one more troubling explanation is the fact that he’s fallen into the doghouse due to his lack of consistency, particularly as a route-runner. Some have criticized Reed for not playing smart enough, for giving up on routes, or for not understanding leverage, especially in red zone situations (again, no touchdowns). His talent is unquestionable, but his consistency can be put into question.

I disagree with most of those critiques, however, since he hasn’t dropped many passes, and his high catch rates show that he has consistently been there when called upon. I mean, how unreliable can a player be if they catch around three-quarters of all of their targets? If Reed were in a situation with a more TE-friendly QB and innovative head coach, then he would probably have a more profound impact in an offense.

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