How Jordan Reed has Taken Over 49ers Training Camp
The first week of training camp, Jordan Reed was a ghost.
He didn't practice with the 49ers or even watch them practice. No clue where he was or what he was doing. I thought he might not make the team.
But since then, so much has changed.
Now, Reed practices with the team, while George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Kyle Juszczyk and Ross Dwelley do not practice -- they're all injured. So Reed has become the main attraction on offense. And he already is every quarterback's favorite target. I'm talking first down, second down, third down, in the red zone, underneath, down field -- doesn't matter.
Remember, Reed has been in the NFL since 2013. And in 2015, he caught 87 passes and scored 11 touchdowns for Washington. The next season, he caught 66 passes and scored six touchdowns. Since then, he has appeared in only 19 games, because he's had seven concussions in his career. He even sat out all of last season.
But he appears healthy now, and he's still a superb route runner -- the best one on the 49ers. He moves like a slot receiver. Plus he has fantastic hand-eye coordination and he makes contested catches in traffic.
And you can tell head coach Kyle Shanahan loves calling plays for Reed. Shanahan and his father, Mike, drafted Reed in 2013. They discovered and developed him.
And after just one week of camp with the 49ers, Reed already looks like the most consistent pass-catcher on the team other than Kittle.
Meaning if Reed stays healthy, he could catch roughly 50 passes, score eight touchdowns and the 49ers could have the best tight end tandem in the league.
Funny how things can change in a week.
