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Tight end Jordan Reed was off to a good start with the 49ers before a knee injury in Week 3 continued a troubling trend in his injury-plagued career. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan is optimistic the MCL sprain Reed sustained against the Giants isn’t something that’ll keep him from being a factor when he returns in six-to-eight weeks.
“I know he’s disappointed, but not discouraged,” Shanahan on Monday told reporters in a video conference. “I think he was really liking where he was at. It’s something that’s going to take some time, just what they say, probably six to eight weeks, which does take time. So, I know he’s disappointed in that, but nothing that’s going to affect him after that. He’ll hit his rehab hard and hopefully we can weather the storm while he’s gone and he’ll come back to a good team.”
Reed was tied for the 49ers’ team lead in targets with 16, and led the club in receptions with 11 and touchdown catches with two. He left Sunday’s game with two catches for 23 yards.
It’d be a significant accomplishment for Reed to return and finish out the year healthy. A six-week recovery time puts him back in the lineup for Week 9 against the Packers. Eight weeks makes him healthy for the bye week and back in action vs. the Rams in Week 12.
Injuries have been an unfortunate commonality for the former third-round pick. He’s never played in 16 games, and he’s reached the 14-game mark only once. It sounds like this season he may not get to double-digit games for the fourth time in his career.
While the injury isn’t good, the fact he can return is a huge plus. The 49ers never meant to lean on Reed the way they did in Weeks 2 and 3, and he should come back to a healthier version of the team that has a slew of other weapons around him.
Reed may not get to play a full season, but he has a chance to come back and have a major impact for a 49ers team that still has visions of winning a Super Bowl.