When the Washington Redskins snatched former division rival DeSean Jackson from the Philadelphia Eagles they added a potential game breaking receiver to their offense that already has the league’s returning reception leader, but their true secret weapon on offense may already be on the team.
When Washington drafted Jordan Reed in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, they got a tight end with a lot of upside but little experience at the college level. Originally arriving on the campus of the Florida Gators as a quarterback, playing in 12 games as a freshman and throwing the ball 46 times, Reed made the move to tight end for his sophomore campaign and caught 28 passes.
His 45 catch campaign the following year garnered enough attention to be drafted by Washington the following draft. Reed hit the ground running, catching five passes in his NFL debut against the Eagles. In their October 20th game against the Chicago Bears, Reed showed off his true potential by hauling in 9 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. The Bears defense was ranked in the top half in pass defense last year.
Playing in only nine games, four of them starts, Reed still managed to catch 45 passes for 499 yards and 3 touchdowns. What may be even more impressive than doing all that in just nine games was the fact that he did all of that damage while receiving so few targets.
With only 59 targets, Reed caught 76.2% of the passes thrown his way. Jimmy Graham caught 59.7% of the balls thrown his way, and led all NFL tight ends in receptions and targets this past season.
When you average out the ten most targeted tight ends last season and give Reed those amount of targets, it would give him 90 receptions for 939 yards, which would have placed him first and second among his position in those categories, respectively.
A 90 reception season from Reed this coming year would give the Redskins a great opportunity to make a quick turnaround under first year head coach Jay Gruden. Having a pass catching tight end has almost become a necessity in today’s NFL as the benefits are becoming more and more evident.
The addition of Jackson and Andre Roberts, to go along with Reed and Pierre Garcon give the Redskins one of the most dangerous receiving core in the entire league.
A healthy RGIII, over a year removed from his knee surgery, will certainly have plenty of options to throw to this season. Reed has the chance to be the biggest playmaker however, as his size and skill makes him the perfect weapon in any offense. Throw in the fact that Gruden has been able to make his tight ends not only threats throwing to, but as a decoy, Reed could be in line for a monster season.
Had it not been for an injury that cut short his season, Reed’s name would have likely gone down with the likes of a Graham, Tony Gonzalez, and Jordan Cameron as far as having one of the most productive 2013 seasons, instead Reed will use 2014 and the retooled Redskins offense to cement his status as an elite tight end.
After last season, it is hard to believe that just two years ago Washington won the NFC East and were winning their playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks until their quarterback was injured. With even more weapons at their disposal, mainly Reed, Washington may find themselves atop the division once again.
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