The Washington Commanders' franchise has produced no shortage of immortalized icons over its storied history, but it's also seen its fair share of those who could have been so much more. In recent times, one of them still hurts above the rest.
About 10 years ago, Washington had one of the most explosive offenses in the NFC. A major part of that was the meteoric rise of tight end Jordan Reed, who had become an absolute weapon at tight end.
To this day, Reed is one of Washington's biggest what-ifs of the 21st century, not named Sean Taylor. And his former quarterback knows it.
Kirk Cousins makes a bold statement about Jordan Reed, and it's hard to disagree
Former Washington and current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins made an appearance with Kevin Sheehan on The Team 980. They discussed everything from the Commanders' new quarterbacks coach, D.J. Williams, to reminiscing about old times, where Reed's name came up. The passer didn't hold back.
"He's a Hall of Famer if he stays healthy... He was as talented a player at his position as I've played with, and I've played with Justin Jefferson at receiver. When you talk about a tight end and what you're asking him to do... It was so unique, his ability."Kirk Cousins via The Team 980
Reed spent seven seasons in Washington and one more with the San Francisco 49ers before injuries — namely, concussions — forced him to hang up his cleats. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2016, and caught 11 touchdowns during his breakout 2015 season while helping the burgundy and gold win the NFC East.
However, he never played more than 14 games in a season, and the writing was on the wall when he missed the entire 2019 campaign from a concussion sustained during a preseason contest against the Falcons. Between his college stint at Florida and in the NFL, he believes he suffered at least 10 concussions.
When Reed was healthy, he was a walking mismatch. He was a physical force and an elite route-runner with highlight-reel hands. He had every ability to be spoken of in the same breath as Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce. That's how good he was.
Sadly, it just never all came together. But Washington fans know what they saw, and it will always sting a little bit to think of what could have been.