It sure sounds like Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas will be back in Washington in 2023.
Thomas, 31, is entering his 10th NFL season and fourth in Washington. Thomas is due to count $8.7 million against the salary cap in 2023. He appeared in 14 games, making 13 starts, and caught 39 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown.
On the surface, those are disappointing numbers. However, when you consider that Thomas tore his ACL in December of the previous year, it was impressive that he was even back on the field for training camp.
As Washington looks to create more salary cap room for 2023, many mentioned Thomas as either a possible cap casualty or someone who could restructure for a lower number next season.
But if we are to take head coach Ron Rivera at face value, Thomas remains a big part of Washington’s plans in 2023.
“I like where that group is headed, I really do,” Rivera told a group of local reporters Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Logan is coming off that knee, and everybody’s gotta understand that not everybody is Adrian Peterson. Not everybody is gonna come back in eight months. So, he started to play the way that we know he is capable of later in the year. And, so, that’s the guy we are expecting to get when we get to OTAs, minicamp, training camp this year. So, we think it will be a very viable group, we really do.”
Thomas did come back in around eight months, which was impressive, but what Rivera is referring to is Peterson tearing his ACL in December 2011 and coming back the following season, rushing for over 2,000 yards and winning the NFL MVP award.
Thomas could still be a candidate for restructuring, but it’s clear he remains in Washington’s plans. While there was a focus on Thomas’ stats last season, his blocking also took a step back. The Commanders hope Thomas’ blocking will return to its pre-injury form in 2023.
Outside of Thomas, Washington has John Bates [entering year three] and three second-year tight ends in Armani Rogers, Cole Turner and Curtis Hodges.
There are reasons to be excited about the group, but Rogers, Turner and Hodges were all injured for portions of their rookie season. Rogers, the former college quarterback, showed the most promise in his limited opportunities. The Commanders were excited about Turner after last year’s draft.
Rivera is counting on Thomas to return to form in 2023. Thomas is also considered one of Washington’s locker-room leaders, which can never be understated, especially with such a young tight end room.
