QB-to-TE: WFT Star Shows Tebow How It's Done
Successful high-school and college quarterback. Drafted into the NFL, but flamed out with several teams. Finally took his 6-foot-plus, 250-pound frame and converted himself into a tight end.
A great story, right? Sorry, football fans, you’re celebrating the wrong player today.
Tim Tebow, meet Logan Thomas.
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While Tebow’s headline-grabbing release by the Jacksonville Jaguars is prompting bizarre confetti from fans and media – ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, for example, said “I don’t think it’s fair to call it a failure … it’s called life,” – it’s the Washington Football Team star who is on the cusp on making an actually successful transition.
No debating, Tebow was a flop in the NFL.
Drafted 25th overall by the Denver Broncos in 2010, he started only 14 regular-season games before being traded to the New York Jets. He was released after one season, then subsequently cut by the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles during training camps in 2013 and 2015. The Jags - led by his former college coach Urban Meyer - cut Tebow after one preseason game, and without throwing him a single pass.
Thomas ventured down a similar path.
He backed up now-Houston Texans’ starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor at Virginia Tech, before finishing his career as the school’s all-time leading passer. He was drafted in the fourth round in 2014 by the Arizona Cardinals, the sixth quarterback selected behind Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo. His first completion as a quarterback in the NFL was an 81-yard touchdown.
It was also his last.
Cut by the Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and Detroit Lions, Thomas made the position switch in 2016 to salvage his career. With the Buffalo Bills he caught his first touchdown in 2017 – from Taylor, no less – and ultimately the eye of WFT.
After scuttling with seven teams in seven years, Thomas enjoyed his long-awaited breakout season in 2020. He caught 72 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns. (And just for fun, he threw a completion on a reverse against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.)
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With his size, athleticism and knowledge of the game, Thomas is poised for a Pro Bowl season connecting with veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. If no one else, WFT appreciates his journey and showed it to the tune of a three-year, $24 million contract extension last month.
So while the football community praises Tebow for “giving it the old college try,” it should be recognizing that Thomas is making the same exact transition. Only successfully.
