Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed played in just six games in 2017. The oft-injured player has come back from injury before -- he's never played a 16-game season -- but feels like this time is different.
Reed had the sesamoid bone in each of his troublesome big toes removed, which is what wiped out most of last season.
"I didn't feel like] myself the whole year," Reed said, [via John Keim of ESPN "That's why I had to get the surgery and have the bone removed. I'm feeling 100 times better.
"I can tell a difference because with the toes it was pain. I had pain all season, all offseason, and that pain was shutting down certain parts of the body that I needed. So you remove the pain and now I'm building my body back up and feeling great again."
After receiving other treatments last season, including a stem-cell shot that didn't help, Reed believes the surgery relieved the problem.
"I feel a [180-degree] turnaround; feeling a lot better, much more explosive, much more strong and in better shape," he said. "So I'm feeling great."
A healthy Reed is vital to the success of the Redskins' offense. When he's been healthy, Reed is a mismatch nightmare for defenses, owning the speed to run away from linebackers and the size to bully defensive backs.
Sadly, the enticing athleticism of the 28-year-old has mostly been smothered by injuries.
Reed is running pain-free for the first time in a while. Washington will bring the tight end slowly through training camp, but he's expected to be ready for Week 1.
We've heard offseason hype about Reed returning healthy before. We'll see if this time the optimism sticks.
