Jordan Reed always had the talent to be a starter in the NFL. For the big tight end, it was simply about staying healthy enough to remain on the field and in the lineup. The rest would take care of itself.
Reed's expectations were finally proven right this past season, his third in Washington, as he collected 87 receptions for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 14 games. But Reed isn't just content with where he left things in 2015. No, with the addition of veteran pass-catcher Vernon Davis in free agency and the expected return to health of Niles Paul, Reed thinks the Washington offense can do some serious damage from the tight end position in 2016.
"He's always been a real athletic guy and a great pass-catcher and now I'm starting to see his blocking," Reed said of Davis. "He's always been a great tight end. I'm excited.
"It's going to be hard to stop, especially when we get Niles [Paul] in the mix. It'll be hard to stop."
Washington, of course, spent big this offseason to keep quarterback Kirk Cousins, the former fourth-round pick who usurped the position of Robert Griffin III, the former second-overall pick. And with good reason.
In his first full NFL season as a starter, Cousins managed 379 completions for 4,166 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Washington head coach Jay Gruden and GM Scot McLoughan obviously aren't completely sold on Cousins' future as the long-term starter, otherwise they'd have forked over whatever exorbitant amount Cousins and his reps were asking for. But they obviously thought highly enough of Cousins - and were sufficiently perturbed by the other options available to them - to lock Captain Kirk up with the $19.9 million franchise tag.
Reed, set to enter the final year of his rookie deal, may be looking a similar future in the face, especially if things go as well for him as they did last year.
And considering that Cousins targeted Reed an astounding 114 times last season - which is about 1/5th of Cousins' 543 attempts on the year - and Washington will be returning the same play-action heavy, West Coast passing game under Gruden, you can bet Reed, should he stay healthy, will be plenty productive in 2016.
And for those thinking that the addition of Davis will hinder Reed's production, you can stop right there - the 32-year-old Davis hasn't caught more than 52 passes in a season since 2011.
