Washington may have found a gem in tight end Logan Thomas originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
As Logan Thomas walked away from the podium following the Washington Football Team’s 25-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday, the 29-year-old had a message for those on the Zoom call.
“Happy National Tight Ends day!” Thomas said.
The made-up holiday became a thing last fall when San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle declared the final Sunday of every October a day to recognize tight ends across the NFL. And on the holiday this year, Thomas turned in his best performance to date for the Burgundy and Gold — and arguably his career — hauling in four passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Thomas, who was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2014 draft as a quarterback, has only played the position full-time for four seasons. In some ways, he’s still learning everything that it entails to be successful at the position.
But if the first seven weeks of the 2020 season are any indication, Washington may have found itself a gem.
Thomas has 21 catches on the season for Washington, already a single-season career-high. His 208 receiving yards are the second-most on the team, trailing only stud wideout Terry McLaurin. Thomas’ three receiving touchdowns lead the club.
During training camp, Thomas had developed a solid rapport with quarterback Dwayne Haskins. But Thomas has seen a major jump in production over the past few games after Washington made the switch from Haskins to Kyle Allen.
Over the past two weeks, Thomas has pulled in a total of seven receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Against the Giants in Week 6, Thomas made the play of the season thus far for Washington, an incredible toe-drag touchdown in the left corner of the end zone. And this past Sunday, Thomas used his athleticism to outrun Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith for another score.
“I’m not sure what the ceiling is, but I know we’ve been clicking the last two weeks,” Thomas said on the offense. “Last week we had a good week, obviously we had five drives of 12 plays or more. You can’t do that unless you’re clicking. This week we put some points on the board in the first half. The second half I wish we would’ve put some more on, but we were playing well and moving the ball well. I’m feeling comfortable, feeling confident and I feel like our preparation has gotten better as the season has gone on as well.”
Entering the season, tight end was arguably the weakest position group of any for Washington. Outside of Thomas, the unit has been incredibly underwhelming. But Thomas has exceeded many expectations already, and more importantly, given whoever has played quarterback for Washington a reliable target.
It’s remarkable how far Thomas has come at the position, too. Entering this season, Thomas had only one career outing of four-plus catches. Through seven weeks, he’s already had four games of such this year. Thomas entered the season with 35 career catches and two career receiving touchdowns. He already has 21 receptions and three scores on the year.
Thomas may never turn into an elite tight end, and that’s perfectly okay. But what he has done is given Washington a trusted option from the tight end position, something the team has not had since a healthy Jordan Reed.
“I’m just thankful to be a part of it, out there having a great time,” Thomas said. “I’m just trying to be a great teammate and do my job.”
