Jordan Reed almost retired. Why watching the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV changed his mind
Jordan Reed thought about retiring last season after suffering his seventh documented concussion.
But the talented tight end found his vigor again after watching the biggest NFL game of the year.
“It was when I saw the Super Bowl that really ignited me again,” Reed said in his first Zoom conference with Bay Area reporters Sunday. “I want to play in those big games. And God blessed me to be here and a part of this great team to give me an opportunity to be in that situation, so that’s what’s driving me.”
Reed has been on the practice field with the 49ers for roughly a week after agreeing to terms with the team Aug. 3, and he’s impressed his teammates with his athleticism and route running. He appears fresh after missing all of last season after suffering a head injury during a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.
“This is the most fun I’ve had playing football. Ever,” Reed said. “I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t play all season last year or what, but since I’ve been out there, I’ve just been having a blast and I’ve just been really grateful.”
Reed, who said he went through testing from concussion specialists before returning to football, has been a tough cover for strong safety Jaquiski Tartt in one-on-one drills. He often stands out as the most talented pass catcher when he’s been on the field with second- and third-stringers.
The 49ers are hoping Reed can offer quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo another viable target while the receiving corps deals with injuries.
The team’s top projected wideouts, Deebo Samuel (foot) and Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring), have been sidelined with injuries and could miss time early in the regular season. Reed caught a touchdown pass from Garoppolo during Friday’s practice inside Levi’s Stadium when he was split out wide as a receiver matched up against Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman.
Tight end George Kittle has embraced the idea of adding the former Pro Bowler who could both complement and spell him after Kittle played over 92 percent of the snaps over the last six regular-season games and the playoffs.
The All Pro said he studied Reed’s film with Washington while trying to learn coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense — and that he’s the best route running tight end he’s studied.
“The best thing that Jordan does is that he really gets up on guys quick and he’s very explosive when he’s in and out of his cuts,” Kittle said when asked for a scouting report. “He doesn’t really waste a lot of time moving and then he uses his speed as an advantage. He doesn’t waste time like trying to hand fight with the guy. He usually just uses his feet and runs around them and then when the guy does get too close, he’s really good with his feet and his double move and getting two feet in the ground to adjust and react and he does that really well. But it’s really just his explosiveness that I think is way better than anyone else.”
Reed, who turned 30 in July, was regarded as one of the NFL’s best tight ends in 2015 and 2016. He was named to a Pro Bowl in 2016 and his $46.7 million contract he signed before that season made him the NFL’s second-highest paid tight end. He had a career high 952 yards and 11 touchdowns that year, though he missed 31 games over the next three seasons.
His addition continues a theme for San Francisco, who have been bargain hunting on the margins of the roster as they look get back to the Super Bowl.
The team has taken on similar high-upside, low-risk players like cornerback Jason Verrett, receiver Tavon Austin and defensive end Dion Jordan to fill out bit roles, rather than try younger players the team might have brought in if it wasn’t in the middle of a championship window.
Shanahan has become known for his work with heavy personnel packages. The 49ers used “21” personnel groupings (two running backs, one tight end, two receivers) more than any other team last season at 28 percent of the snaps. The next closest was the Minnesota Vikings at 21 percent.
But Shanahan used “12” personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two receivers) 18 percent of the time, which was just below the league average. A healthy season from Reed could see that number increase given how Shanahan often builds a passing attack off the success of the running game and play action.
Two tight ends like Kittle and Reed that catch passes can put defenses in a tough spot. Do they play base packages with a third linebacker and risk being at a mismatch in the passing game? Or do they play for coverage with an additional smaller defensive back who might get pushed around in the running game?
“It poses a big challenge, just because you’ve got to make the decision on how you want to play them,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said.
Like Reid did for his touchdown Friday, he has the ability to line up as a receiver, which is a wrinkle both him and Kittle can use to vex defenses.
“When you have two tight ends of that caliber, it’s just the sky’s the limit,” Saleh said. “When you’ve got the creativity of someone like Kyle and his staff, you can only imagine some of the stuff that they can draw up.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
