Washington Football Team: Logan Thomas has nothing else to prove

Washington Football Team tight end Logan Thomas has nothing else to prove.

The Washington Football Team had a lot of questions heading into the season. What would the quarterback situation look like? Could the offensive line hold up? Was the secondary good enough to compliment that elite defensive line? Who would step up behind Terry McLaurin as another threat in the passing game? Do they have a tight end?

All those questions have been answered. The quarterback situation was confusing but Alex Smith has taken over as the leader of the offense and clear NFL Comeback Player of the Year (seriously, they should name the award after him).

The offensive line has had its share of problems and has not been great, especially when dealing with injuries. However, they have not been dreadful and you can’t understate the value of Morgan Moses, despite many fans loving to use him as a scapegoat.

The secondary has been surprisingly strong thanks to breakout performances from second-year corner Jimmy Moreland and rookie safety Kamren Curl, as well as a strong season from Ronald Darby.

The last two questions were possibly the trickiest at the start of the season. Kelvin Harmon was hurt, so their number two receiver was already out. Maybe Steven Sims Jr. could handle the role in the slot (injuries have hampered him this year but he still has plenty of potential at the position).

Meanwhile, no tight end on the roster was really exciting anyone, which is part of the reason why Thaddeus Moss was getting a lot of fan love despite being an undrafted rookie dealing with injuries. There ended up being an answer to both of those questions, though, and it’s the same one: Logan Thomas.

You could argue that the call for a “threat in the passing game” outside of McLaurin has been answered by multiple people. Running back J.D. McKissic is a check down monster. Sims Jr. has been great at times, and Cam Sims has emerged and thrown in some massive games of his own. Even Isaiah Wright and Dontrelle Inman have had their moments.

While he hasn’t been the biggest weapon in the passing game, Antonio Gibson’s role can’t be overlooked either.

If we need to name someone just one person, however, it’s Thomas.

Logan Thomas has been a revelation for the Washington Football Team offense.

Coming into the season, Logan Thomas had just 35 receptions for 317 yards and two touchdowns in his career, 40 games as a tight end.

He was frequently talked about as the “former quarterback”, which everyone knows by now because it was jammed down our throats. Thomas played quarterback in college at Virginia Tech and in 2014 was a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals, where he started his NFL career as a quarterback, going 1-for-9 for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Since 2014 though, Thomas has thrown just two passes in the NFL (1-of-1 for 15 yards in 2018 with the Buffalo Bills and 1-of-1 for 28 yards this year with Washington).

Despite that, he has still been labeled as a “former quarterback” basically all year long. It’s not in the cute-but-definitely-still-really-annoying-but-at-least-they-are-doing-it-lovingly way that announcers talk about someone like Julian Edelman either. It always felt kind of like they were invalidating Thomas as in disbelief that Washington was starting him at tight end.

So what has he done this year? Well, how do 43 receptions for 426 yards and five touchdowns sound?

It’s not just stats either. Thomas has looked more comfortable with each passing game. His routes are getting better, he is not dropping passes nearly as much and is also making great grabs too. He has also shown some great moves for extra yards after the catch and has been a phenomenal blocker. To put it bluntly, no one is calling Logan Thomas a “former quarterback” anymore.

It does feel necessary to say this is not a call for Washington to call off the dogs in search for a long-term solution at the position. Thomas is still a tight end with under 100 career receptions and, at 29 years old, he is far from old but it’s not like you have him for another decade. Therefore, it’s not a bad idea to be on the lookout.

However, 2020 has served as his coming out party. Thomas has proven he is more than capable as a tight end in the NFL. Washington should feel comfortable having him at the position for the next few years if needed, so there is no need to panic or invest too heavily in finding a new tight end.

If Thomas ends up being the tight end for the foreseeable future, there are plenty of worse things that could have happened. He’s certainly winning over a lot of fans (rightfully so), with his great play — maybe that will continue.

Week 13 served as the perfect situational test as well. Washington was facing off with the 11-0 Pittsburgh Steelers in a game they needed to win. McLaurin was held to just two receptions for 14 yards and Gibson suffered an injury and missed basically the entire game. Someone needed to step up.

Thomas answered the call by setting new career-highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (98), while also scoring a touchdown. He can be the guy in a game if the Washington Football Team needs it.

There is nothing left to prove, Logan Thomas is a starting tight end in the NFL for a reason.