Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed was in limited position during the team's practice on Thursday due to a quadricep muscle injury to his thigh. This has led the Redskins to officially announce Reed's status as "questionable" for Week 2.
The team already has two tight ends out for the season so it is depending on Reed to fill the position. The player managed to deliver a 63-yard, seven-catch, one touchdown performance against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. However, relying on Reed's precarious health is a bit risky given that he missed 12 out of 32 games and struggled to remain on the field during training camp because of a strained hamstring.
The 25-year-old tight end is a talented pass-catcher who had been chosen as No. 85 overall back in 2013, but his NFL' career has been hindered with several injuries. Reed was regularly listed on the Redskins' injury report and also had a knee surgery in his medical history.
Joining him as "limited" were offensive tackle Tom Compton and nose tackle Terrance Knighton who sustained calf and rib injury, respectively. The Washington Redskins had lots of experience in the field without Reed but injuries at the position are adding up. For instance, Logan Paulsen is done for the season because of a toe injury while Niles Paul is also out with an ankle injury.
Nevertheless, coach Jay Gruden expressed hope that Reed would be able to play soon. The tight end himself is even more optimistic about his situation and told the Washington Post, "Yeah, I'm going to play. One hundred percent."
As the team's players keep on spinning in and out because of injuries and suspensions, it forced the Redskins' secondary unit to quickly adapt. One of the team's biggest acquisitions in the offseason was former Tampa Bay Buccaneers free safety Dashon Goldson.
Washington's defensive coordinator Joe Barry said that "Dashon is 'the dude that drives the bus for us.' He's the leader, and to have him back there not only as a player, but just leadership. I think I bragged on him last week on how smart he is, how he calls plays out before they're happening just because of certain formations or certain splits. So when you have a guy like that with his ability and veteran presence, it's awesome."
The addition of Goldson was huge boost for Washington from a leadership perspective. For that leadership, the free safety was voted by his teammates earlier this month as their defensive captain, along with Trent Williams (offense) and Tress Way (special teams). Barry further compared Goldson's leadership to leadership to previous players he had coached such as Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, and Eric Weddle.
