Former Cardinals QB Logan Thomas now TE threat for Washington

Hey, remember Logan Thomas? It’s OK if you don’t. That’s a pretty deep cut in Arizona Cardinals lore.

Before we get to the background on his journey, the former Cardinals draft pick and quarterback prospect is now the leading target-getter for the Washington Football Team as a tight end six years after he was drafted.

Huh?

Yup. He caught four of his eight targets on Sunday for 37 yards and a touchdown.

NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund has him down as an X-factor for the Week 2 matchup between the Cardinals and the Football Team.

Logan Thomas led Washington in Week 1 targets (eight), and his rapport with QB Dwayne Haskins will be key against Arizona in another game that figures to include a lot of passes. The Cardinals’ defense has been the most generous when it comes to touchdowns surrendered to tight ends since 2019 (16 allowed, most in NFL). That said, safety Budda Baker and rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmons forecast to improve the D in this area, so make the most of the situation this week with Thomas and keep an eye on how tight ends fare against Arizona going forward.

Thomas was hyped up at Virginia Tech as a big-bodied quarterback who could scoot, rushing for 24 touchdowns over four seasons from 2010-13 to go with the 9,003 yards passing and 52 additional touchdowns.

While he never quite reached his full potential as a Hokie, with his highest honors being Second Team All-ACC in his sophomore season, Thomas was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

With then-head coach Bruce Arians’ notorious reputation as a quarterback whisperer, there was a thought of Thomas being a long-term project the team could mold into the future under center after Carson Palmer.

That didn’t happen.

Thomas only appeared in two games, throwing nine total passes in the 2014-15 season before being released in September 2015.

After spells on the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants, Thomas took that athleticism and made the move to tight end in 2016. Three years later, he had his most successful NFL season yet in 2019 on the Detroit Lions, catching 16 balls for 173 yards and one touchdown. He played in all 16 games for the first time in his career.

Thomas was signed by Washington in the offseason, and with the Jordan Reed era now over, Thomas won the starting job.

In terms of air yards, meaning the distance those targets traveled, Thomas was third among all tight ends in Week 1 at 76, per Pro Football Focus. His 31 routes run were sixth among all tight ends as well.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera spoke leading up to the season on the rapport Haskins had built with Thomas, and while he’s not getting too excited yet, Rivera sounds optimistic about how Thomas is developing.

Ron Rivera said they're looking for a complete TE, a la Vernon Davis and Greg Olsen, as opposed to primarily a pass-catcher or blocking TE. "Do we have that? Maybe. Logan Thomas has done a great job. … I like the direction he's headed."

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) September 3, 2020

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