The Washington Redskins cleared house this past week by releasing a slew of players, including expensive cornerback Josh Norman and costly wide receiver Paul Richardson, Jr.
However, these weren’t the only big moves in the works for Washington this past week. According to Rhiannon Walker and Ben Standing of The Athletic, tight end Jordan Reed’s stint in Washington is coming to an abrupt end. The team is parting ways with Reed, who is currently dealing with his seventh documented concussion and has been in the concussion protocol since Aug. 22, when he suffered a hit to the head in the Redskins’ lone preseason win against the Atlanta Falcons.
Jordan Reed remains in the concussion protocol almost six months after the violent hit that caused his seventh documented concussion. Throughout last week, sources have told @BenStandig and I that he and the team will part ways. #HTTR https://t.co/h6td2SDDY6
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) February 17, 2020
Reed, 29, was drafted by the Redskins in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft and has struggled to stay healthy, starting in just 36 games and appearing in 29 more over six seasons. He has managed to haul in 329 of 446 targets for an impressive 3,371 yards and 24 touchdowns, good for an average of five catches, 52 yards, and 0.37 touchdowns per game.
Reed was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2016, a year in which he appeared in 12 games and made eight starts while catching 66 passes for 686 yards and six scores.
Reed signed a five-year, $46.75 million contract extension in 2016 that took effect in 2017. Releasing Reed within the next three months will cost the Redskins $1.8 million in dead money next season while saving them $8.5 million towards the cap in 2020 and $9 million in 2021.
The Redskins find themselves in a sudden hole at tight end with Reed being let go and Vernon Davis retiring. This leaves Jeremy Sprinkle as the starter as he approaches his fourth season in the league with second-year players Hale Hentges and Caleb Wilson filling in the backup roles.
While Washington could target a tight end in the draft, the most likely scenario would involve bringing in free agent Greg Olsen. The veteran tight end was released by the Panthers recently after he spent several years with them under Ron Rivera, who is now the Redskins’ head coach. Olsen had visits with the Redskins, Bills, and Seahawks, with the former two seeming more likely than the latter.
