Washington tight end Jordan Reed is healthy, feeling good, and participating in football practice. So clearly, now’s the time for everyone to write about him.
Reed played in just six games last year because of a problematic toe injury which led to problems in other areas of his body. But he had surgery in December and February to remove the sesamoid bones in each big toe. He’s still easing back into practice, but he’s there, which is key.
“I didn’t feel myself the whole year,” Reed said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “That’s why I had to get the surgery and have the bone removed. I’m feeling 100 times better.
“I can tell a difference because with the toes it was pain. I had pain all season, all offseason, and that pain was shutting down certain parts of the body that I needed. So you remove the pain and now I’m building my body back up and feeling great again.”
Reed has played in 52 of a possible 80 games in his five seasons. The six he played in last year were the lowest in a season, but he’s only played more than 12 games in a season once.
When he’s well, he’s a dangerous receiving threat (he caught 87 passes for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015), and the kind of guy new quarterback Alex Smith ought to be able to rely on. But last year, as has been the case too often, he was never well.