Jordan Reed told reporters Thursday afternoon that he could be back on the field for practices as early as next week. He's been dealing with a toe injury recently.

Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed is inching closer to an on-field return as he continues his path towards full health.

Reed has been on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list since July 26, dealing with a lingering toe injury that bothered him some during the offseason months.

"I expect to be out there next week," Reed told reporters Thursday afternoon at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Loudoun County, Va.

Reed, of course, has been one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL over the last two seasons. After a breakout campaign in 2015 in which the University of Florida product paced the Redskins in receptions (87), receiving yards (952) and receiving touchdowns (11), Reed was named to his first Pro Bowl last season catching 66 passes for 686 yards and six touchdowns.

While the expectations are certainly still high for Reed, being sidelined for the entirety of training camp wasn't easy for him.

"It's been tough," Reed said. "Any time you miss time it's rough, but I just try to stay positive and understand that it's for the better for the whole season."

To help combat some of the pain he's been experiencing in his toe, Reed was recently fitted for special orthopedics. He can put them into any pair of shoes or cleats of his choosing.

"It's been working good," Reed said. "It's helped my toe out a lot and when I tried them out it felt really good."

Even if he has to wear them throughout the season, Reed believes he'll be able to play at a top level once the regular season begins next month.

"I think the coaches are allowing me to rest it and allow it to heal," Reed said. "I don't think it will be a problem during the season because it's starting to heal up really good right now."

As for his reigniting his connection with Reed – who has thrown him all 153 of his receptions over the last two years – once healthy, quarterback Kirk Cousins knows that the two can quickly come together once again, even if the tight end is still limited during the remainder of the preseason schedule.

"One thing I learned last year and I said it in OTAs is that while this is really important, Week 1 of the regular season is what really matters, so we've just got to get Jordan ready for that," Cousins said