Washington acquired veteran tight end Alvin Reed from Houston…
Washington acquired veteran tight end Alvin Reed from Houston on May 28, 1973 for a future draft choice whose exact 1974 round and pick cannot be established from the surviving record. Reed played 33 games for Washington over three seasons, starting five in 1973 and totaling 15 receptions for 165 yards and three touchdowns. He supplied real but limited depth before his 1976 release.
Tennessee Titans Received
- pick 1974 future draft choice (exact round and pick unresolved)
Washington Commanders Received
- player Alvin Reed
Trade Analysis
The May 28, 1973 transaction is real, but the legacy record overstates the precision of the compensation. Washington's 1976 media guide says Alvin Reed became a Redskin on May 28, 1973 when the club acquired him from the Houston Oilers for a future draft choice. That team source is the strongest description of the package and supports one future pick, not multiple separate picks. Pro Sports Transactions independently records the same date, but its 1974 draft ledger labels the compensation as a fifth-round pick and/or sixth-round pick with the exact selection unresolved. The correct reconstruction is therefore Reed to Washington for one future draft choice whose specific 1974 identity remains uncertain.
Washington did receive measurable service. NFL statistics show Reed playing five games with five starts in 1973, catching nine passes for 124 yards before a knee injury ended his season. The Washington media guide explains that he had been expected to back up Jerry Smith, then moved into the lineup after Smith was injured. Reed returned in 1974 and 1975 as a reserve and special-teams contributor, appearing in 14 games each season. Across his three Washington seasons he totaled 33 games, five starts, 15 receptions, 165 receiving yards and three touchdowns. That is useful veteran depth, though far below the receiving production Reed had produced earlier in Houston.
Houston's side has to be treated more cautiously. The Oilers unquestionably received a future choice, but the available draft histories do not identify one specific 1974 selection as the Reed return. Pro Sports Transactions explicitly preserves the ambiguity, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 1974 draft ledger shows several Houston choices moving through other transactions without resolving which, if any, corresponds to Reed. Assigning one named draftee to this trade would therefore create a false downstream chain. The Oilers should receive credit for obtaining future draft capital, but not for a player or pick outcome that cannot be proved.
That uncertainty prevents a defensible winner call. Washington's return is known and modest: three seasons of depth, five starts and three receiving touchdowns. Houston's return is known in form but not in final pick identity. An Even Trade with C grades on both sides reflects the limited Washington production and the unresolved Oilers downstream value without treating missing evidence as zero value. Confidence remains medium because the transaction itself is well supported while the exact draft compensation is not.