The 49ers on Sunday made the signing of tight end Jordan Reed official. An announcement came about a week after general manager John Lynch said in his pre-season press conference that the team was going to acquire the free-agent tight end. The signing gives San Francisco 79 players on their training camp roster.
Talent and fit aren’t really pressing questions with this acquisition. The 49ers need a better pass-catching option behind George Kittle, and Reed is an elite athlete with explosive play-making ability as a receiver. He’s not a great blocker, but he can effectively line up as a big-bodied receiver and generate mismatches through his versatility. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has experience with Reed from their time together in Washington. Reed was a third-round pick in the 2013 draft, which was Shanahan’s final year as Washington’s offensive coordinator.
In their lone season together Reed posted 499 yards and three touchdowns on 45 receptions in nine games. That’s a 16-game pace of 80 receptions, 887 yards and five touchdowns.
What sticks out in the lone season Shanahan and Reed were together is his nine games. Injuries, and specifically concussions, have been a problem for the tight end. He’s played 65 games since getting drafted seven years ago. He’s yet to play 16 games and he’s only gone beyond 12 games twice.
The 49ers don’t incur much risk with the signing. He’s a potential game-changer for their offense. There is risk involved though for Reed. He missed all of last season after getting diagnosed with the seventh concussion of his career following a hit in a preseason game. He was eager to get back in the league though and found a fit with an offensive coordinator who can maximize his skill set.
Reed probably won’t play a ton of snaps for San Francisco if he is able to put together a healthy season. Blocking isn’t his strong suit and the 49ers have a glut of capable blocking tight ends. Where he’ll help is providing another reliable target on third downs and in the red zone. He’ll also help Shanahan devise new ways to stress defenses to create holes for explosive plays. The injury questions are going to loom as long as he’s on the field, but Reed has the potential to be one of the NFL’s most important offseason signings.