Commanders TE Logan Thomas Back; Will He Play Season Opener vs. Jaguars?
The Washington Commanders are celebrating today after tight end Logan Thomas was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. This makes him eligible to participate in the team's practices and games.
But with the preseason finale coming up in just five days against the Baltimore Ravens and the season opener in three weeks against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when will Thomas see the field? Head coach Ron Rivera had an answer for that question after practice Monday.
"The next step is to see him in practice," Rivera said. [The] best thing is, this is a step."
Even though Thomas is back practicing with the team, there's no guarantee he will be active for the team's season opener on Sept. 11.
Thomas, 31, suffered hamstring and knee injuries that landed him on injured reserve last season. During the 2021 campaign, these injuries forced Thomas to sit out of 11 games. He recorded just 18 catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
The Commanders' tight end group has been stung by the injury bug a lot this preseason as John Bates and Cole Turner are both still out. The team had original fifth-string tight end and college quarterback Armani Rogers as the starter in the team's preseason loss to the Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend.
The team also did some re-shuffling with the depth at the position, placing Eli Wolf on injured reserve. The team also added former Los Angeles Rams tight end Kendall Blanton from waivers and signed free agent Jake Hausmann.
Now that Thomas is back in the fold, he'll have to adapt to his role in the new-look offense. There are more weapons around him this year than ever before in Washington. The team drafted three skill players ... running back Brian Robinson Jr., wide receiver Jahan Dotson and Turner ... all of whom could take targets away from Thomas.
But Carson Wentz loves his tight ends. He built Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert into some of the league's best at the position during his time in Philadelphia, and now that Thomas is back on the field, he can get his top tight end up to speed.
