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Any player that is available into June has some sort of fault that NFL teams can’t ignore. Tight end Jermaine Gresham is no different after undergoing back surgery in March, and his first reported visit since having the procedure came with the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday.
Prior to the surgery, the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills had some level of reported interest in Gresham. It’s not surprising his market has dried up with questions about his health, but there’s a team out there that looks like a fit that hasn’t been widely reported to have interest in the former Cincinnati Bengals‘ tight end.
The Washington Redskins don’t lack for bodies to fill out their tight end depth chart right now, with Jordan Reed, Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen the notable names and three other tight ends (Chase Dixon, Je’Ron Hamm and Devin Mahina) currently on the roster. But Reed has already had surgery on one of his knees after struggling to stay on the field the last two seasons, Paul is still fairly unproven and Paulsen should not be guaranteed anything.
Gresham and Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden have some history, with Gruden serving as Bengals’ offensive coordinator from 2011-2013. Gresham’s prowess as a blocker (Pro Football Focus’ No.1 pass-blocking tight end in 2014) should help make up for his shortcomings as a receiver, and the scheme fit looks obvious in Washington.
Until more clarity comes about the nature of his knee surgery, at least publicly, Reed’s status for training camp and possibly the start of the season has to be a question. It’s interesting that the Redskins have not had some level of interest in Gresham to this point, but it’s safe to say they were assuming Reed was going to at least enter training camp fully healthy and their need to add a tight end would be minimal.
Gresham’s own injury concerns make him far from a slam dunk signing, but the Redskins should be willing to have him in for a visit and put him through a physical. If they have any concerns about Reed’s health, Gresham is a solid flier for Washington to take and if he is healthy there’s no downside in adding him.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
