Jordan Reed in the 49ers’ Passing Game

For the entirety of the 2019 season, Jordan Reed was sidelined and is now looking to return to game action. It took roughly six months for him to finally be cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol–occurring when the offseason had already begun.

After sitting out the first week of training camp, Reed has been heavily involved in the 49ers’ offense. In fact, with plenty of key players sidelined–including George Kittle–, Reed has emerged as Jimmy Garoppolo’s ‘favorite target.’

The training camp run Reed has received has served as a valuable opportunity for ‘knocking the rust off’ and being able to get reps in against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

“I haven’t played in a year, so I’m playing against the top guys right now – one of the best defenses in the league,” Reed said, via the team’s official website. “So, it’s definitely knocking the rust off, getting my feet underneath me and just learning the playbook.”

It remains to be seen if Reed can continue to stay healthy, but the early results from what he has shown in training camp have been intriguing, nevertheless. The 49ers will have another viable receiving threat at the tight end spot to complement Kittle.

Pulling off this low-risk addition could yield a major return for the 49ers. Some of the team’s top pass-catching options already are dealing with injuries entering Week 1. Having another reliable option in Reed could go a long way for San Francisco.