Jordan Reed is yet another case of “if only he were on the field.”
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If he were on the field, Reed would be crossing over linebackers. He’d be displaying unparalleled athleticism. He’d be a polished deep threat at the tight end position. Reed is ready to rid himself of the asterisk — the conditional. He want to make it all true. Now that he’s got even more help than last year, he likes his odds to get open and get down the field.
“I’ll be able to get mismatches,” Reed said, via NFL Nation.
He’s done it before. He caught 45 passes for 499 yards as a rookie and 17 passes for 224 yards in a two-game stretch, via NFL Nation. Position-mate Logan Paulsen admires Reed’s outstanding athleticism.
“The way he can move his body and be in total control all the time is really special,” Paulsen said. “He does a lot of things that receivers can’t do and that will make him so special for a long time. I have never seen anyone run routes the way he runs them. I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that. He’s a special talent. He’s just wired in an explosive athletic way. You see a guy cross somebody up in basketball; he has that move. Even though you know it’s coming he still gets guys to bite. It’s incredible.”
Paulsen’s no the only one noticing it. Reed’s been doing extra reps and getting even more comfortable with a more diverse route tree. He’s doing it without a whole lot of coaching.
“He’s always been a natural route runner,” Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay said. “He just gets it. You don’t have to overcoach him. He just naturally separates.”