National Football League

Jordan Reed Unlikely To Play On Saturday After Missing Practice

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:22 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jacob Camenker/FanSided via Riggo's Rag

Jordan Reed has been dealing with a shoulder injury for weeks now. It appears that Reed will miss Saturday’s game.

The injury troubles for Jordan Reed persist. The Washington Redskins talented tight end seems unlikely to play on Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Bears. Reed has missed the last two practices, and on a short week, it seems like he will not be ready to suit up. This is probably for the best, considering how poorly Reed performed last game.

Against the Carolina Panthers, Reed was a major liability for the Redskins. Despite claiming to be healthier, Reed did not look close to 100 percent. His shoulder separation was clearly bothering him, and on multiple occasions he left the field grasping his shoulder in pain. Of course, it did not help that the Panthers seemed to hit Reed extra hard on a couple of circumstances, but he was a non-factor before that happened anyway.

The real place that Reed hurt the Redskins was with his ejection. In the second half, the Redskins were attempting to make a comeback when Reed got into a fight with Kurt Coleman. The two players were jawing at each other when Reed decided to punch Coleman in the face. He landed the blow, and was immediately ejected and flagged for 15 yards. The penalty pushed the Redskins away from the end zone, and it forced them to settle for a field goal. That crushed all of their momentum and it was really a boneheaded play by Reed.

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In all reality, Reed probably never should have suited up against the Eagles or the Panthers. He was merely used as a decoy and appeared to grow frustrated with his role, or lack thereof. The team would have been better off resting Reed until he was fully healthy. They clearly have not learned their mistakes from the handling of the Josh Doctson case.

No matter what the Redskins should have done, it seems that Reed will be out Saturday. As a result, Vernon Davis will fill in for him. Davis has been terrific this season in a backup role, and is certainly a serviceable spot starter. The Redskins will make a plan that features him at various points, but I would imagine that Davis will be more productive than Reed has been in the previous weeks.

Moving forward, the Redskins have to be more careful with how they manage injured players. They are now without Reed in the most crucial game of their season, and they could have possibly avoided that by giving him extra time off.