Washington Football Team: Thomas and Samuel returns could turn tides

The Washington Football Team is seeing the returns of Logan Thomas and Curtis Samuel, and they could be coming at the perfect time.

A few weeks ago, it felt like a lost season for the Washington Football Team. They were 2-6 and facing down the barrel of the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Surprising many, Washington didn’t blink – and looked pretty dominant in a win that week. They followed it up with another strong showing to defeat the Carolina Panthers and a returning Cam Newton.

Now 4-6, Washington suddenly has playoff hopes once again. And the rest of their schedule certainly is a setup for a fairytale ending to the season. You see, Washington’s last five games of the season are all against NFC East rivals. So if they can get through these next two games, they will enter that stretch with at the very least a fighting chance.

Those two games come against the Seattle Seahawks and the Las Vegas Raiders. Seattle holds a 3-7 record right now. It’s unwise to discount a team led by Russell Wilson though. The Raiders are 6-5 and look great some weeks, but lost at other times. It feels like you just never know what you’re going to get with them.

The bottom line is, Washington needs to be at their best. If they can win those two games, they head into that final stretch at 6-6. From there, anything can happen.

So it’s all hands on deck, and now it appears Logan Thomas and Curtis Samuel will be back for the Monday Night Football bout with the Seahawks.

Admittedly, Samuel hasn’t done much since arriving in Washington. The wide receiver has spent a hefty majority of his time injury. He’s reeled in just four receptions for 19 yards in two games (he does also have one carry for eight yards). However, he brings a lot to the table. Most importantly, he is a proven weapon in his time in the NFL. Washington’s receiver room is lacking that outside of Terry McLaurin.

This could help to free up McLaurin quite a bit, as the superstar tends to get an insane amount of attention from opposing defenses. Samuel has big-play potential, but can also hurt a team by being heavily involved and not just relying on the home run plays.

Then there’s Thomas. The tight end joined Washington last year as an underwhelming starting tight end. He had 35 receptions in three years at the position, recording barely 300 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, this was after converting from a quarterback.

Washington and head coach Ron Rivera saw something in him though and were rewarded heavily. Thomas had a breakout year in 2020 and was looking solid to start 2021. Injuries got to him too though.

Thomas will help in a different way than Samuel. Both will play a serious role in adding weapons. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke now has more proven targets to throw to, making the offense more dangerous. They’ll also take some eyes off of McLaurin. Thomas is the perfect safety blanket though. He’s a massive target who has the athleticism to make big plays. But that also makes him a great short-range target and a massive red zone threat.

These additions off the injury list come at the perfect time. Washington’s defense has started to play closer to the elite level that was expected of them. The offense has been a little better recently too. That being said, there have still been some pretty glaring issues on that side of the ball. A major infusion of talent should start patching those holes up though.

The Washington Football Team is still far from perfect. Logan Thomas and Curtis Samuel are two certified ballers though. If the season turnaround and playoff push are real, they’ve just been given a serious boost.