After being sidelined for the Redskins' game against the Cardinals, Jordan Reed returned to practice this week and is seeing improvement in his injured left shoulder.
With almost full range of motion back in his injured shoulder, Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed is feeling optimistic about his chances of playing Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Today I just felt a lot better running and things like that, moving it, making those sharp cuts," Reed said on Thursday. "It's painful, but something I can deal with."
The pain has subsided quite a bit since he initially suffered the injury in the Redskins' Week 12 game against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago. While Reed made an unexpected return to the field after suffering the injury early in the second quarter – tallying eight receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns in the second half of that game – he was clearly hurting after the game. As he answered questions from the media, he struggled to get his arm into his shirt.
That pain carried over into last week's practices in preparation for the Arizona Cardinals, as he didn't practice at all and could only catches passes with right hand. He did not make the cross country trip to Arizona with teammates, but did return to practice this week.
He's been limited in his workload, but has been able to test his injured arm and seen positive results.
"It's gotten way better," Reed said of his shoulder. "The pain wasn't as severe as it was."
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said that Reed has looked good over the last two days, but a determination for his playing status on Sunday will ultimately depend on how he is feeling closer to kickoff.
Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed on Wednesday was named to the NFL's 'Top 100 Players of 2016' list, checking in at No. 77.
"I think, No. 1, from an individual standpoint, he has to feel good about it," Gruden said. "And we can't predict that or guess how he actually feels come game time or Saturday afternoon, and ultimately it'll be his call. He'll get the advice from the trainers and the doctors but ultimately it'll be his call. I mean, it'll be the doctors' call but it'll be his call too."
If he does return to the field, he'll be facing an Eagles team he's had quite a bit of success against over his NFL career.
While he didn't play in the Washington's Week 6 victory over Philadelphia with a concussion, he was a dominate force in the Redskins' NFC East-clinching victory over the Eagles last December, catching nine passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
With the Redskins 6-5-1 and a ½ game out of the final Wild Card spot, Reed understands that Sunday's game is key to Washington remaining right in the thick of playoff contention.
"It's a big game, it's a division game, things like that," Reed said. "Every game is exciting for me, so I never want to miss one.
"It's a huge game. We need all our guys available, you know, so I want to be available."
