DeSean Jackson

Jay Gruden on Jordan Reed: '(He's) playing with confidence'

Published Dec. 23, 2015 3:46 p.m. ET

foxsports

Over the course of the last two games, Washington Redskins' tight end Jordan Reed has had an insane connection with quarterback Kirk Cousins.

On 16 passes that have headed Reed's way, he's caught all 16 of them. He's converted those 16 catches for 204 yards and three touchdowns.

His head coach, Jay Gruden, has taken notice in Reed's strong play. He believes that Reed is growing more and more comfortable in the Redskins' system, and believes that Reed is a tremendously talented football player.

"Jordan has done an excellent job as far as understanding where to lineup, understanding the concepts of the offense that we are trying to do," Gruden said on Wednesday. "But, you know, as a tight end, you have to understand coverages and leverages, and how to get open in man to man, and how to find holes in zones. If you're given option routes, (you need to know) how to set up your defender and work to the coverage. Right now, Jordan is playing with a lot of confidence, and he sees the field extremely well for a young tight end. And that's the hardest thing for a tight end coming out of college to the NFL, is to see all of the routes versus different coverages, and the zones and the mans and all that stuff. Jordan is becoming a natural at it. Kirk has a great feel for him, and they just have a great rapport as far as, you know, when to get your head around, timing, all that stuff. It's really become a thing of beauty these last few weeks. And it's just going to get better and better the more they work together."

That chemistry has been key for Cousins. With both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon at his disposal, having a tight end with Reed's talent level just gives him an embarrassment of riches. Reed is Cousins' leading receiver, but now that Jackson is completely healthy, all three players form a tough passing attack.

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DeSean Jackson

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