Washington Tight Ends: Bright Spot for Minicamp?

The second week of OTA’s wrapped up recently for the Washington Football Team and its tight end group made some noise on the practice field.

Tight end Logan Thomas hauled in an impressive grab during practice. The 29-year-old caught a pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick that was a bit overthrown, yet still managed to connect while Kendall Fuller attempted to break up the catch.

Fitzpatrick found Thomas again, this time for a touchdown in the red zone.

“Without a second glance, one could see and hear the velocity on the ball,” SI Washington's Chris Russell said. “A connection fans should expect to see quite often."

Fourth-round rookie tight end John Bates turned some heads during both individual and team drills. Russell noted that he had a nice outstretched-hand grab during one rep against the first-team defense.

“He appears to be the real deal through rookie camp and OTA’s,” Russell said.

Bates has only improved since rookie camp began but has also caught the attention of WFT head coach Ron Rivera since the beginning. Rivera has said previously that Bates has a tremendous catch radius.

“He’s a guy that we believe is really going to fit right in,” Rivera told reporters Thursday on the former Boise State product's role.

Fellow first-year tight end Sammis Reyes has shown some glimpses of his athleticism and pass-catching ability in OTAs. At 6-foot-7, even Fitzpatrick laughed at the fact there aren’t many human beings that look like his new weapon.

Still, the Chilean-born pass-catcher has room to grow before he's a lock for the final 53. Though Reyes has been consistently dropping many uncontested balls during OTAs.

“He’s had at least one drop every time we’ve been allowed at practice,” Russell said.

Washington’s tight end group looks a lot different than last season. Thomas shined in the passing attacking, finishing second on the team in receptions with 72 catches. The other three tight ends combined hauled in three for 18 total yards.

As mandatory minicamp starts this week, plenty of competition looks to be coming at a position of need in the nation’s capital.

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