Washington Football Team tight ends
Logan Thomas had a crazy breakout season in 2020. The tight end set career-highs in receptions (72), receiving yards (670), and receiving touchdowns (6). He looked set to be their star at the position for a nice long time.
However, 2021 saw a lot of setbacks for Thomas. He appeared in just six games due to injuries. And those six games featured two where he left very early thanks to those injuries. That was painful for a few reasons. First of all, Thomas is one of the better weapons on the team. For the other, he was poised to put up massive numbers. In that short amount of time, he racked up 18 receptions for 196 yards and three touchdowns. Final grade: Incomplete
Ricky Seals-Jones did a great job in his role this year. He was thrust into the starting spot. And while he wasn’t an elite option, he held the position down pretty nicely. Seals-Jones finished with 30 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns in just 13 games. It was his second-best season in the NFL. Final grade: B-
John Bates was phenomenal in his rookie season. He had a pretty limited role for most of the year but did get decent playing time overall. Bates finished with 20 receptions on just 25 targets, showing some pretty sure-hands. In those 20 receptions, he had 249 yards and one touchdown. Bates was seen as more of a blocking tight end but proved this year that he can be a decent enough weapon in the passing game. Final grade: B
Overall, tight end was a weird position for Washington in 2021. Thomas was poised for big things, but the injuries completely derailed his season. Seals-Jones was good, but nothing phenomenal. It was a clear step-down from Thomas but you have to give him credit for performing that well after being thrust into the role. Bates was great for his rookie season and gets a boost for being thrust in the role as well.
However overall when we’re talking about production, tight end was pretty “meh” as a position for Washington. Final grade: C+