Washington Redskins: 2015 key for Jordan Reed

The Washington Redskins drafted tight end Jordan Reed out of Florida in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. The young tight end has played well in each of his first two seasons in the league, but has failed to meet expectations due to a limited amount of appearances because of injury.

The 24-year-old possesses the traits required to succeed as a pass-catching tight end in the NFL. Reed’s 6-3, 236 pound frame makes him a great over the middle target. His ability to get open doesn’t rely solely on his size, though. A large portion of Reed’s game is based on his agility.

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He uses his agility to slip behind defenders and create space for himself while running his routes. After creating space between himself and the defense, Reed uses his reliable hands to haul in the football. In fact, he managed to catch an astonishing 50 out of 65 passes thrown his way in 2014; meaning Reed caught the ball 76.9 percent of the time that he was targeted last season.

The high catch percentage that Reed boasts is truly impressive; especially when you consider the fact that Rob Gronkowski, Greg Olsen, Vernon Davis, and Jimmy Graham all fell short of the 70 percent mark in this category. It doesn’t appear as if Reed’s high catch percentage is a fluke, either.

The reason I say this is because Reed posted eerily similar numbers during his rookie campaign. In 2013, the young tight end caught 45 out of the 59 passes thrown his way, which equates to 76.3 percent. Reed’s agility and reliable hands make him an excellent security blanket.

Reed turned his 45 catches into 499 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie year. His sophomore season, like I mentioned earlier, was very similar in terms of production. The energetic pass catcher caught 50 passes for 465 yards in 2014. Although he failed to reach the end zone last year, Reed proved that the hype surrounding his rookie season was legitimate.

His catch percentage, reception total, and yardage marks weren’t the only similar things about his rookie and sophomore seasons, though. Unfortunately for Reed, both of his seasons in the NFL have been hampered by injuries. He missed a total of seven games in 2013, and five in 2014.

If Reed is going to take his game to the next level, he’s going to have to find ways to stay on the field. If he can do that, there is no doubt in my mind that he is capable of becoming one of the top tight ends in the NFL. But, if he can’t, it’s possible that he’ll lose his job by the 2016 season.

Niles Paul, Washington’s backup tight end, had a breakout season in 2014. He was able to secure 39 catches for 509 yards and one score. Paul, 25, re-signed with the club after his impressive campaign and figures to compete with Reed for playing time.

I do believe that Reed is capable of outperforming Paul, and is the better overall athlete out of the two. But, unfortunate as it is, injuries might be the thing that ultimately determine the length and worth of Reed’s career. If he is able to stay on the field, I foresee him becoming a force to be reckoned with at the tight end position.

Seeing as how Reed is only 24 years old, he still has ample time to turn things around. But with a very similar player in Paul nipping at his heels, the pressure will be on him to produce in 2015.

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