Washington Footbal Team: Logan Thomas is just scratching the surface

Washington Football Team TE Logan Thomas is just scratching the surface of his potential during his recent breakout.

When the Washington Football Team passed on Austin Hooper, Eric Ebron, and Trey Burton, to bring in Logan Thomas, many fans were left scratching their head. In fact, many questioned Ron Rivera and the coaching staff’s decision-making throughout free agency.

But did the coaching staff catch on to something the rest of us didn’t know?

After a career game in Washington’s upset win against the Steelers, where Thomas finished with 9 receptions for 98 yards and the game-tying touchdown as highlighted by the NFL’s official Twitter account, he should be on the national media’s radar.

How did Washington find such a talented weapon at such a low cost? Thomas is currently in the first year of a two-year, $6.145 million contract

It begins with Washington’s tight end coach, Pete Hoener. According to Rivera, Hoener had Thomas on his list of potential free agents and viewed the TE as a player that was on the come-up.

"“When you watch him, what he did, you feel, this guy just hasn’t played a lot, but when he does, he looks pretty good,”"

Coming into this year, Thomas had 35 career receptions for 317 yards and two receiving touchdowns. In his first year with Washington, Thomas has already surpassed all of those numbers as he currently has 43 receptions for 426 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.

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Not only that, but more than half of Thomas’s catches have gone for first downs, and his performance has impressed Rivera.

"“The guy has the size, the skillset in terms of speed and quickness. He’s got the smarts because he’s a former quarterback. He understands the game,” said Coach Rivera."

Not only does he make plays on the receiving end, but Washington has been able to run some trick plays with Thomas lining up behind center. He has one pass on the season that went for 28 yards. During the Steelers game, he also made a heady play to recover J.D. McKissic’s fumble on what could have been a game-changing turnover.

Coach Rivera and the team knew that Thomas was special during training camp, but he continues to impress them with his play on the field.

"“Sometime during training camp, you could see he was getting it. But each game, he does something that makes you go, ‘Wow,’ and feel like this guy is developing and going to be the type of tight end we’re looking for.”"

The biggest positive I’ve noticed about Thomas is his humility. Instead of focusing on his efforts, he talked about the defense stepping up against the Steelers and talked about how thankful he is to be a part of this organization.

"“Honestly, I had no idea what part of the offense I was going to be when I came in. And you know what, I’m thankful for the position that I’m in playing as much as I am.”"

He specifically talked about his appreciation for his position coach Hoener, and how he has helped him develop into the player that he is today.

"I’m thankful to Pete [Hoener] every day. You know I couldn’t be where I am without him. He pushes me every single day. He doesn’t let me slack even if I’m sore, tired. He keeps pushing me, and I appreciate that and I’m thankful for him for that.”"

Thus far, Thomas has far outperformed his contract, as he has the ninth-most receptions for TEs in the NFL and is tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns among TEs.

Despite being 29 years old, he would still be considered fresh, as he had never played over 35 percent of a team’s offensive snaps prior to this season.

With increased opportunities, Thomas is proving that he is just scratching the surface, and has the potential to be one of the better TEs in the game.