Season officially over for TE Reed

Dec 14, 2017 - 3:29 AM ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins finally had to stop waiting for tight end Jordan Reed.

Injury prone throughout his career, Reed's 2017 season ended in bitter disappointment on Tuesday when the Redskins placed him on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

But it isn't the hamstring that is the biggest concern. Reed was in Charlotte on Wednesday visiting Dr. Robert Anderson, a foot specialist, to determine if he needs surgery on the injured toe that began his downward spiral this season.

"It's no fault of the player, it's just a physical game and guys are going to get injured," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said. "It's just unfortunate it's happened to Jordan in his career.

"He's doing everything right. He works extremely hard in the weight room, he's put on weight, he runs, he's in great shape. We just need him to get well for the success of this team."

Reed, 27, had missed the previous six games with the hamstring injury. But it was the toe injury during training camp that caused the overcompensation and eventually the strained hamstring. Reed played in a career-low six games and in two of those was a non-factor taking part in just 28 percent (14) and 36 percent (21) of the offensive snaps.

Reed played in nine games as a rookie in 2013, 11 games in 2014 and a career-high 14 in 2015. Last season he dropped back to 12. This year the toe limited him in training camp, a chest contusion forced him to sit out Week 3. His final game was Oct. 29 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Washington's offense runs through Reed, who is a difficult matchup for safeties and linebackers. He averages 5.3 catches per game with 22 touchdowns, but has played in only 52 of a possible 80 games in five NFL seasons. He signed a five-year, $46.75 million contract in May 2016.

"Jordan is a big-time player for us, and when he's not out there it has an effect on what we do," Gruden said.