Tight end Jordan Reed opted not to have any procedures done to his shoulder this offseason, but should still be completely healthy in a month's time.
Health has remained a primary issue throughout tight end Jordan Reed's career, and while he managed to avoid major injuries in 2015, they impacted his production again last season.
Reed missed four games due to both a concussion he received against the Ravens in Week 5 and then from a Grade 3 shoulder separation suffered against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, an injury which he managed to play through for the remainder of the game and three of the last five games of the season.
The Florida product opted not to have any procedures done to his shoulder once the season ended, but said the recovery process would have been about the same if he underwent surgery. He hopes to be back to 100 percent by the start of next month.
"It's to the point now where I can do some weight lifting on it and try to strengthen it up," Reed said in Houston this week. "That's all I need to do right now is build the muscle around it and keep it strong.
"A month or so of good, consistent working on it, consistent strengthening and treatment and I'll be back to 100," Reed said.
Reed admitted his disappointment with his season as a whole. In 12 games he caught 66 passes for 686 yards and six touchdowns, the first two of which came in the team's fourth game against the Browns. Arguably his best game came against the Cowboys in Week 12 when he caught 10 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns while playing with his separated shoulder.
"I wasn't too happy with [the season]," Reed said. "I felt like I could have worked harder in the offseason and come in better shape and do more earlier in the season, and I felt like I could have been better. Right now I'm focused on not having that same feeling and being at my very best come next season."
While Reed has been in Miami, where he will stay for next couple of months training before offseason workouts begin, the team's former offensive coordinator Sean McVay left to take the head coaching job of the Los Angeles Rams.
McVay, who previously coached tight ends before getting promoted to offensive coordinator, had a close relationship with Reed throughout his career. And while Reed remains excited to have new offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh keep offensive continuity, he lamented McVay's impending absence this season.
"It was bittersweet, man, he's a great coach. I love him, he's a great friend of mine," Reed said of McVay. "He's gone, so I won't have him around anymore but I'm really happy for him, he definitely deserves to be a head coach. He's a great coach and he's going to do great."
As he continues to get healthy and think about improving upon last year, Reed is also wary of the team's quarterback situation, which remains uncertain as Kirk Cousins is due to become an unrestricted free agent. The Redskins, like last year, have the option to franchise tag Cousins, offer him a long-term contract or let him become a free agent.
"It's definitely on my mind," Reed said of Cousins' situation. "It's my career, and he throws me the ball and that's my job. I'm just hoping and praying that they bring him back and they give him what he deserves and they keep him around."
