Jordan Reed in concussion protocol after NFL preseason Week 3

Jordan Reed may have suffered a concussion in the Washington Redskins preseason Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Jordan Reed has often been injured for the Washington Redskins, and it appears that he got nicked up during Thursday night’s preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. And this injury was no fault of his own.

Reed was evaluated for a concussion in the second half of the game and Jay Gruden confirmed that Reed was, indeed, in the NFL’s concussion protocol. As NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay pointed out, that almost always means that a player did, in fact, sustain a concussion.

The play that many believe Reed suffered the concussion on was a helmet-to-helmet shot that occurred in the first half. Falcons safety Keanu Neal hit Reed head-on during the play and frankly, it was surprising that there was no call for lowering the helmet to initiate contact. Reed bounced up right after the hit and spun the ball, but concussion symptoms can sometimes take time to surface. So, they may have come on later in the half.

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This is obviously bad news for the Redskins. Reed had been looked great by all accounts in camp and showcased some of the dynamic ability that made him a matchup nightmare in seasons past. Injuries have always been an issue for him, but it finally looked like he was in the midst of a healthy lead-up to the season. This concussion changes things.

Hopefully, Reed will be fine by the time the regular season rolls around in two and a half weeks. If so, he will be starting at tight end for the ‘Skins and will hope to turn into the top tight end target in the offense.

That said, if Reed’s concussion lingers, the Redskins will have to use Vernon Davis and Jeremy Sprinkle as their top tight ends. Davis is a very good receiving backup, so the veteran will ensure that the Redskins are in good hands. Meanwhile, Sprinkle has great potential thanks to his 6-foot-5 frame and athletic ability, but he has never been much more than a blocker. However, he caught a dump-off from Case Keenum and turned it into a 28-yard gain thanks to a nice run after the catch. So, perhaps the third-year player is ready to break out.

Reed’s concussion could also impact the Redskins next week on cut day. If Reed is still in concussion protocol at that point in time, they may opt to keep an extra body around, just to make sure that they have enough depth at the position for the first week of the season. Of course, they could always stash a guy on the practice squad and wait it out as well. Matt Flanagan, JP Holtz, and Donald Parham would be the options if they keep an extra player and of that group, Holtz, a versatile H-back, would be my preferred option.

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We’ll soon see what happens with Reed, but this situation will need to be monitored. Hopefully, he can get healthy quickly and this will soon be a thing of the past.

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