Falling one victory short of a playoff berth last season apparently motivated the Arizona Cardinals front office. General manager Steve Keim and his cohorts embarked on a mission this offseason which included the filling of a variety of roster holes. In fact, the Cards addressed many of those needs with several of the NFL’s most-talented players.
Despite the positivity, there is one area of the team that failed to grab Keim’s attention over the past several weeks. The tight end, a position that has been ignored by the Cardinals organization for far too long, can once again be considered a weakness at the present time. Maxx Williams and Darrell Daniels, the squad’s top two performers at the spot, combined for just 16 catches,194 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2020.
Though most of the position’s most sought-after free agents have already been signed, there’s an intriguing veteran who’s still waiting for his phone to ring. Jordan Reed, a former third-round draft pick of the Washington Football Team, remains on the market. Is a union between the Redbirds and the 30-year old pass-catcher a possibility?
When healthy, Reed has been one of the league’s most-productive tight ends. Back in 2015, the 6’2, 242 pounder registered 87 receptions for 952 yards and 11 scores for Washington. The next year, Reed caught 66 passes for 686 yards and six touchdowns, and was invited to the Pro Bowl for the first time since he turned pro back in 2013.
While Reed’s incredible talent can never be questioned, his inability to stay healthy has put a damper on his career. The Connecticut native’s extensive injury list includes a thigh contusion, four concussions, left and right hamstring pulls, a sprained knee, a separated shoulder, a fractured toe and a chest contusion. Last fall, while with the San Francisco 49ers, Reed missed five games with a Grade 2 MCL sprain.
Obviously, a contract with Arizona would include very little guaranteed money for the famously-fragile Reed. Keim has worked the one-year, “prove-it” contract to the franchise’s advantage on many occasions, and such an agreement would certainly be in order with this particular situation. If Reed can manage to remain on the field, however, the Cards would be getting one heck of a tight end in 2021.