Reports: Rob Kelley, Jordan Reed not expected to play on Sunday night vs. Raiders
Rob Kelley and Jordan Reed were both listed as questionable on the Washington Redskins injury report this week. However, it appears that the duo may not see the field.
Heading into Week 2 of the NFL season, the Washington Redskins were one of the healthiest teams in the NFL. With a very short injury report, the team was in position to compete and have all 53 of their men ready and able to see action if needed. However, heading into Week 3, it has been a different story. The team had five starters questionable for the game, though it seemed like all had a good chance to play. Very early on Sunday morning, that view has shifted.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rob Kelley and Jordan Reed are not expected to play in the Redskins Sunday night matchup with the Oakland Raiders. Losing the two would be a big blow to the Redskins offense, as they have been two of the more important pieces of the offense to start the season.
Kelley’s lack of ability is not a major surprise. In Week 2 against the Rams, the Redskins running back went down with an injury after having a career performance in the first half alone. Kelley was nursing a rib injury that was initially thought to be a fracture. While he avoided any major damage, the pain he has dealt with in practice is apparently enough to keep him out of the Week 3 game. Rib injuries are a tricky malady for running backs to deal with given the punishing nature of playing the position, so it makes sense for him to take a week off and see if he can be closer to 100 percent by Week 4.
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In Kelley’s stead, it seems likely that Samaje Perine will handle the workload. The rookie saw 21 carries in Week 2, and a majority of them came after Kelley had exited the game. Perine looked good on some runs, but still needs to adapt to the NFL game as a whole. He should fare well in his first start, but don’t expect him to put up absurd numbers.
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Perine will likely handle 15-20 carries with Chris Thompson being mixed in for a couple carries and playing most passing downs. Mack Brown, the team’s fourth back who is likely to be active on Sunday, could be mixed in for a handful of carries, but he will likely see more action on special teams than on offense.
As for Reed, this is a bit more of a surprise. Reed was injured in the second half of the game against the Rams, but he returned to action. Though he didn’t practice on Wednesday of this week, it was looking like he might be ready to suit up. While Schefter acknowledged that he was still a game time decision, the fact that the Redskins are leaning towards sitting him is not an encouraging sign due to Reed’s track record with injuries.
Without Reed, the Redskins will likely use Vernon Davis as the starter. Davis is a good receiver, but he doesn’t offer much as a blocker. Niles Paul will see more snaps in that role, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the field more than Davis if the Redskins use a run heavy offense. In Reed’s place the team will likely designate rookie tight end Jeremy Sprinkle as active. Sprinkle is a potential packed player who won’t be on the field much, but he will offer depth.
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Overall, these are two injuries that are bad news for the Redskins. They need all the help they can get on offense to take down the Raiders, and operating without Kelley and Reed will put them at a disadvantage.