Commanders claim Rams playoff hero, activate Logan Thomas from PUP

The Washington Commanders haven’t been at their best this preseason, but they’ve done well as far as avoiding major injuries. There’s something to be said for that as a significant preseason injury could derail a season before it starts.

Of course, the Commanders haven’t been as lucky on the practice field.

On top of the offensive line being a revolving door during training camp, the tight end position has been absolutely ravaged by injuries. Logan Thomas opened camp on the PUP list, John Bates is nursing a calf injury, Cole Turner is dealing with a hamstring and Curtis Hodges is shelved with an unknown ailment.

That left Armani Rogers and Eli Wolf as the only healthy tight ends for Saturday’s game at Arrowhead, so the club went out and claimed a reinforcement this weekend.

Per multiple reports, the Commanders claimed Kendall Blanton off waivers. This a sneaky good move from the front office, as Rams fans were stunned when the team waived Blanton, a key role player from their Super Bowl run last year.

The Commanders claimed Rams playoff hero Kendall Blanton off waivers and activated Logan Thomas from the PUP list.

Blanton now reverts to the Commanders’ 85-man roster, which will be trimmed to 80 by Tuesday afternoon. The former UDFA out of Missouri caught a touchdown in the Divisional Round against Tampa Bay and followed that with five catches for 57 yards in the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco. He went on to start for the Rams in the Super Bowl, though he was held without a catch.

At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Blanton fits the profile Washington has sought in its tight ends. We’re all aware of Thomas’ imposing presence, but Turner is 6-6 and 240 pounds, Rogers is 6-5, 220 and Hodges is 6-8, 240. Pretty clear the front office is seeking big-bodied tight ends for Carson Wentz.

Blanton is very much an unproven commodity, but it speaks volumes his best performance came in a playoff atmosphere.

Not every player is capable of showing out in a do-or-die setting, and Blanton’s five catches for 57 yards surpassed his career output as a pass-catcher. In 12 regular season games, the 26-year-old had managed four catches for 37 yards.

This move piqued Commanders fans’ interest, but it got pushed to the back burner after Washington activated Thomas from the PUP list. While Thomas was said to be making strides in his ACL recovery, his activation came out of nowhere and gives the offense a needed steadying presence at tight end.

This doesn’t confirm that Thomas will be ready to play Week 1. At 31 years old and coming off major knee surgery, the veteran likely needs multiple weeks to ramp up and get back into the swing of things. With that said, the fact Thomas suiting up vs Jacksonville is even a possibility is a massive win for Washington.

Getting back to Blanton, it seems as though the Commanders were browsing the tight end market before the former Ram got waived because they wasted no time claiming him off waivers. Lost in the madness of Saturday’s preseason game was reserve tight end Eli Wolf landing on the reserve/injured list.

The team is obviously stacked at tight end, so Blanton will be hard-pressed to make the 53-man roster but never say never. If Bates, Turner and Hodges remain shelved and Blanton balls out in the final preseason game we suppose anything is possible.

For now, though, the former Rams playoff hero will serve as a needed extra body during practice this week.