Washington Football Team: A wish list of free agent tight ends

Throughout the better part of the past decade, some combination of Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis provided solid production for the Washington Football Team from the tight end position.

That disappeared in 2019, when injury caught up with Reed and age ran down Davis. Jeremy Sprinkle emerged as the team’s top receiving threat at the position, and that is not what we would refer to as an ideal situation.

Heading into the 2020 season, Washington had Sprinkle and late 2019 pick-ups Hale Hentges and Caleb Wilson in the fold. They signed free agents Logan Thomas, Richard Rodgers, Marcus Baugh, and Thaddeus Moss. I called it the weakest position group on the team back in May.

Logan Thomas’ emergence helped salvage the position and may well have changed the team’s thinking about how to proceed in the 2021 off-season.

Thomas, who made the final roster along with Sprinkle and Baugh, played extremely well in 2020 and became a reliable mid-range and red zone target. He demonstrated toughness and smarts, and with his background as a college quarterback, he offered some flexibility in running options or quarterback sneaks. He also proved to be a solid blocker.

I believe Thomas has limitations pertaining to his quickness that will prevent him from ever becoming a top-tier tight end. He will never be able to separate like the Kelces and Wallers of the world. That matters in today’s NFL, when having a tight end who can stretch the field and who can require additional attention from deep safeties, is invaluable.

Still, if the Logan Thomas we saw in 2020 remains Washington’s top receiving tight end, that is not too bad a situation. I would not have said that heading into the 2020 season.