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Redskins should shut down Jordan Reed amid reports he is out Sunday

By Jacob Camenker

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 23: Jordan Reed #86 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Eagles won 34-24. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 23: Jordan Reed #86 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 23, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Eagles won 34-24. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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It’s been another lost season for Jordan Reed. He has missed the past five games with a hamstring injury and he is likely out Sunday due to the same malady.

Over the course of the past month, the most boring news to come out of Redskins camp day in and day out has concerned Jordan Reed. Each of the last five weeks, Reed hasn’t been able to practice due to a hamstring injury. Each week, he is declared out. That will be no different on Sunday.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Reed is expected to miss yet another game. He will be out for Sunday’s contest against the Los Angeles Chargers, and that brings on a serious question for the Redskins. If Reed is never going to be able to play this season, why not just put him on Injured Reserve already? Given the team’s slim playoff hopes, there’s no reason to risk further injury to him and keeping him on the active roster is preventing a younger player from getting a shot with the team.

It’s worth noting that Reed is a talented player when healthy. The star tight end was supposed to play a big role in the passing game this year, but that obviously never materialized. He has missed six games already this season and has never looked 100 percent when on the field. The Redskins are going to be stuck with him moving forward thanks to his huge contract, so they should just rest him until next year to see if he can fight the injury issues that have plagued him through his playing career.

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Putting Reed on Injured Reserve would allow the Redskins to call up a player from their practice squad to give them a chance to play some live snaps to end the season. Two prime candidates would be Mannaseh Garner and Fish Smithson.

Garner is a tight end and fullback hybrid that is somewhat reminiscent of Niles Paul. Since being an undrafted free agent in 2015, Garner has been with five different organizations including the Redskins. He flashed some potential as a solid blocker in the preseason, so bringing him up as the fourth tight end could give the Redskins a chance to look at him late in the season if they are officially out of contention.

As for Smithson, he was one of the more impressive undrafted players from the preseason. The Kansas safety would have had a chance to make the team as the fourth guy had Stefan McClure not beaten him at the time. Given the recent poor performance of DeAngelo Hall and Montae Nicholson‘s injury issues, Smithson could provide some needed depth and give the team a chance to see what he’s capable of.

Next: Previewing Redskins vs. Chargers in NFL Week 14

At the end of the day, the point is simple. Keeping Reed on the roster helps nobody at this point. Let him sit out the rest of the season and try to comeback stronger in 2018. There’s no sense in him furthering his injury in the last month of what looks like a lost season.

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