GRUDEN WANTS JORDAN REED READY FOR SEASON, NOT OFFSEASON CAMP

Don't expect to see Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed any time soon.

Asked during the annual league meeting if Reed, the former New London High School great, will be healthy enough to participate in organized team activities starting in May, Coach Jay Gruden offered this blunt response: “Heck no.”

The five-year veteran has yet to play 16 games in a season because of injury. Last season, he appeared in only six games because of lingering hamstring and toe injuries. But the Redskins are more concerned about Reed's future, not his past, and that's why they're taking a cautious approach to his offseason recovery.

“We've taken the necessary steps to get him right,” Gruden said of Reed, who had his best season in 2015 when he recorded 87 catches for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. “I think he's had a procedure done on his toes.

“Now it's just a matter of rehab. He's been working hard at it. He's been working on his upper body while his toes are recovering, so hopefully we'll see a healthy, 100 percent Jordan by training camp.”

The offseason acquisitions of Alex Smith and Paul Richardson, Jr. were a welcome change for a franchise that wanted stability at quarterback and speed at the wide receiver position.

But Reed is a cornerstone of the Redskins' offense.

Gruden acknowledged that tight end Vernon Davis “did some good things” in Reed's absence while backup Jeremy Sprinkle was able to get some valuable reps. But as Gruden has said in the past, getting Reed back is critical to the team's success.

“Jordan's a special guy,” the coach reiterated this week. “There are not many tight ends in pro football that can do what he can do, as far as running the option routes across the middle, breaking people down and lining up on the outside, beating people deep and across the middle. He's a special talent and he makes us better, without a doubt.”