Redskins: Options at TE if Reed misses significant time with concussion

Washington Redskins TE Jordan Reed seems to have suffered yet another concussion in the Redskins win over the Falcons in preseason Week 3.  Who might the team have interest in if Reed’s injury lasts long into the regular season?

The Washington Redskins finally got their first win of the preseason in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.  The game was meant to be a tune-up for both teams with the start of the regular season only weeks away.  In Thursday’s 19-7 win for the beloved burgundy and gold, several players stood out, many of whom have been involved in fierce position battles in training camp and the preseason.

On a 3rd-and-7 play in the game, with just under ten minutes remaining in the second quarter, Jordan Reed caught a ten yard pass from projected Redskins starting quarterback Case Keenum.  While the play seemed innocent enough at first with Reed being tackled by Falcons LB De’Vondre Campbell, S Keanu Neal came in late and lit up the injury prone tight end with a vicious helmet-to-helmet hit that made most Redskins fans cringe as it happened.  Reed was eventually taken out of the game after feeling concussion like symptoms after the hit.

Per NBC Sports’ J.P. Finlay on Twitter, head coach Jay Gruden said after the game that “Jordan Reed is in the concussion protocol.”  This obviously means bad news for Reed as he has had multiple documented concussions since the start of his college football career at the University of Florida.

The question for Reed is how long can and will he play after experiencing so much head trauma?  As of now, there is no update on how much time Reed may miss after the sustaining the head injury.  However, the Redskins must consider other options at the tight end position if Reed misses significant time heading into the 2019 regular season.

The in-house options for the team include veteran Vernon Davis, Jeremy Sprinkle, Matt Flanagan, J.P. Holtz, and Donald Parham.  Realistically, Davis is the only receiving threat capable of handling the duties of Reed, but only to an extent.  Sprinkle, Flanagan, and Holtz tend to specialize more in blocking.  Lastly, Parham seems to be too raw at this point, and is more likely to end up on the practice squad in 2019.

This leaves the Redskins in desperate need of talent at the position as Reed figured to be a central focus of the team’s offense going into the regular season.  Per Spotrac, the only notable tight ends that seem to be available at this time are Dion Sims, Jermaine Gresham, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.  As can be seen with this list, the team faces a significant challenge in trying to replace their starting tight end.  The most interesting player that could have an impact on the team might be Seferian-Jenkins.

The former second-round pick out of the University of Washington has not lived up to expectations since being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014.  He has played on multiple teams in just a few years in the NFL, and his best season arguably came with the New York Jets in 2017, when he amassed 50 receptions for 357 yards, and three touchdowns.  This is hardly as productive as Reed’s best year, but Seferian-Jenkins may still have something left in the tank if the team decides to kick the tires on him.

Maybe it’s possible that the inconsistent tight end could have a revival similar to Adrian Peterson, who was signed after the injury to Derrius Guice in 2018.  However, Seferian-Jenkins must overcome personal demons that have slowed him down in recent years.

Because of Reed’s lengthy injury history, the Redskins should always consider other options at the position, as he has never played a full 16-game season since being drafted in 2013.  Thankfully the team signed Davis in 2016 to help the receiving game from the tight end position, but Reed may not be able to go on much longer with so many head injuries.

If his probable concussion causes him to miss significant time into the regular season, it would be in the best interest of the team to scour the waiver wire with the hope that a productive tight end gets cut after preseason Week 4, in addition to giving Seferian-Jenkins a look.  If the coaching staff sees neither as helpful to the current construction of the team, look for them to just stick with the status quo.

Stay with us here at Riggo’s Rag for any further updates on the situation.