The Washington Redskins are going through a bit of a transitional period and new head coach Ron Rivera is moving on from veterans who have been part of the team for several years. After releasing Josh Norman and Paul Richardson last week, reports surfaced that tight end Jordan Reed was on the chopping block. The team wanted to wait until he was healthy, however, before making a final decision to move on.
Reed played in just one game this season -- a Week 3 preseason matchup in Atlanta against the Falcons, where he suffered a concussion that forced him to miss the entire 2019 regular season. According to Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic, that one hit made by safety Keanu Neal kept Reed in the league's concussion protocol for almost six months, and he was cleared on Wednesday according to Ben Standig of The Athletic.
This was not the first concussion Reed has suffered during his seven years in the league, which may explain why it took so long for him to recover. With the number of head injuries he has recorded and the recent report that the Redskins were going to release him, many thought Reed would retire or perhaps go into coaching. According to Joh Keim of ESPN, retiring is not in Reed's plans yet, and he "100 percent" wants to continue playing.
In 65 career games, Reed has caught 329 passes for 3,371 yards and 24 touchdowns. He's never played a full 16-game season, but he was productive when healthy. Because of that, he should generate some interest on the open market if the Redskins do indeed release him.
As for Washington's plans at tight end -- they are going to have to start from scratch. Vernon Davis announced his retirement earlier this month and Greg Olsen chose the Seattle Seahawks over the Redskins and the Buffalo Bills. That leaves just Jeremy Sprinkle and Hale Hentges as the only tight ends on the roster who played a snap in 2019.