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Making The Case For Logan Thomas…
Bonafide Athlete
Was Never Supposed to be a QB
Progression Every Season as a TE
Paid $$ to be TE1 in WAS
Opportunity Ripe for the Taking
We’re Blinded By the Suck
[A THREAD]
Bonafide Athlete Was Never Supposed to be a QB Progression Every Season as a TE Paid $$ to be TE1 in WAS Opportunity Ripe for the Taking We’re Blinded By the Suck[A THREAD]
I know some of you are thinking:
“Logan Thomas…?? Is this a joke…??”
I can’t fault anyone for that.
I wrote him off too.
The dude played 4 years at Virginia Tech as a QB & never completed more than 60% of his passes in any season. He had an ugly 52-39 TD/INT ratio.
“Logan Thomas…?? Is this a joke…??”
I can’t fault anyone for that.
I wrote him off too.
The dude played 4 years at Virginia Tech as a QB & never completed more than 60% of his passes in any season. He had an ugly 52-39 TD/INT ratio.
Despite that, AZ (& coach Bruce Arians) took a shot on him in RD4 of the 2014 Draft. As a rookie, Thomas completed just 1 of 9 attempts, & was then promptly cut, just one year into his rookie deal – a clear sign that he was unlikely to work out as a QB project.
Thomas tried to redeem himself with MIA's practice squad, but couldn’t make the active roster.
NYG gave him a shot too, but he couldn’t stick, and he never saw an active roster as a QB again.
He didn’t just fail, he failed miserably.
So we all wrote him off, & justifiably so.
NYG gave him a shot too, but he couldn’t stick, and he never saw an active roster as a QB again.
He didn’t just fail, he failed miserably.
So we all wrote him off, & justifiably so.
We all saw how badly Logan Thomas the QB failed & because of that, most of us haven’t been willing to hear out Logan Thomas the TE’s story.
& I’m not immune.
When I saw a tweet by @FantasyMikeBBF congratulating @JSnake_DFF on calling Thomas as the WAS TE starter, I thought:
& I’m not immune.
When I saw a tweet by @FantasyMikeBBF congratulating @JSnake_DFF on calling Thomas as the WAS TE starter, I thought:
“Logan Thomas…?? A starting TE…??”
I only looked up his name again so I could write him off again… but to my surprise, everything that I found about Logan Thomas the TE was nothing but 
And his story is a whole lot deeper than I thought…
And his story is a whole lot deeper than I thought…
Turns out, Logan Thomas has always been Logan Thomas the TE – we just never got to see it.
He was never supposed to be Logan Thomas the QB & all of Logan Thomas the QB’s failures were never even supposed to exist…
When he committed to VT in 2009, it wasn’t just as a TE…
He was never supposed to be Logan Thomas the QB & all of Logan Thomas the QB’s failures were never even supposed to exist…
When he committed to VT in 2009, it wasn’t just as a TE…
It was as the No. 1 TE recruit in the nation, on multiple boards…
24/7 Sports had him No. 1.
ESPN had him listed as an ATH (he played WR, DB, & QB in high-school) & his 81 grade would’ve placed 3rd among TE’s, ahead of both Tyler Eifert & Zach Ertz.
24/7 Sports had him No. 1.
ESPN had him listed as an ATH (he played WR, DB, & QB in high-school) & his 81 grade would’ve placed 3rd among TE’s, ahead of both Tyler Eifert & Zach Ertz.
Apparently, when Thomas was being recruited, he even went as far as to “eliminate any school from the recruiting process that viewed him as a QB.”
He committed to VT as a TE.
He committed to VT as a TE.
But, as the story goes, VT coach Frank Beamer coaxed Thomas into throwing the ball around in his first practice with the team, perhaps dreaming of another dual-threat QB like he had previously coached in Michael Vick & at the time had in Tyrod Taylor.
Thomas took the bait & the rest is history.
He played his entire career at VT as a QB & we were robbed of ever getting to see what Logan Thomas the (highly-recruited & highly-athletic) TE could do…
But we did get a glimpse of the potential at the 2014 NFL Combine…
He played his entire career at VT as a QB & we were robbed of ever getting to see what Logan Thomas the (highly-recruited & highly-athletic) TE could do…
But we did get a glimpse of the potential at the 2014 NFL Combine…
And boy, was it a glimpse to behold.
Participating as a “QB prospect,” Logan Thomas checked every box you’d be looking for in an elite TE prospect:
6’6”/248
4.61 40
35.5” vertical
4.18 shuttle
Do I even need to compare those #'s to other TE’s?
Ok, if you insist:
Participating as a “QB prospect,” Logan Thomas checked every box you’d be looking for in an elite TE prospect:
6’6”/248
4.61 40
35.5” vertical
4.18 shuttle
Do I even need to compare those #'s to other TE’s?
Ok, if you insist:
Waller
6’6”/238
4.46 40
37” vertical
4.25 shuttle
OJH
6’5”/251
4.51 40
30” vertical
4.16 shuttle
M. Andrews
6’5”/256
4.67 40
31” vertical
4.38 shuttle
Gronk
6’6”/264
4.68 40
33.5” vertical
4.47 shuttle
Logan Thomas
6’6”/248
4.61 40
35.5” vertical
4.18 shuttle
6’6”/238
4.46 40
37” vertical
4.25 shuttle
OJH
6’5”/251
4.51 40
30” vertical
4.16 shuttle
M. Andrews
6’5”/256
4.67 40
31” vertical
4.38 shuttle
Gronk
6’6”/264
4.68 40
33.5” vertical
4.47 shuttle
Logan Thomas
6’6”/248
4.61 40
35.5” vertical
4.18 shuttle
Unfortunately, Thomas also threw the ball 60 MPH at the combine & QB whisperers drooled over that number just as much as the others…
He was still asked by some teams about switching positions – an inevitability after his eye-popping performance...
He was still asked by some teams about switching positions – an inevitability after his eye-popping performance...
But his answer was – “I just disregard [changing positions] right off the top, really… I’d probably just tell you, ‘No, thank you. I’ll just take my chances elsewhere.’”
& can you really blame him?
& can you really blame him?
He played QB his entire collegiate career & was a projected NFL draft pick at QB...
I'd have done the same thing.
But the predictable happened & his accuracy issues kept him from ever really having a legit shot at the QB position in the NFL.
I'd have done the same thing.
But the predictable happened & his accuracy issues kept him from ever really having a legit shot at the QB position in the NFL.
It wasn’t surprising when he failed & it was the right move to write him off…
… as a QB – and only as a QB.
Because the NFL hasn’t written off Logan Thomas the TE – and you shouldn’t either.
… as a QB – and only as a QB.
Because the NFL hasn’t written off Logan Thomas the TE – and you shouldn’t either.
Logan Thomas could have packed it in, taken his million in earnings & found another way in life.
But he didn’t – he fought back.
He announced a return to the TE position when he signed with Detroit’s practice-squad in 2016...
But he didn’t – he fought back.
He announced a return to the TE position when he signed with Detroit’s practice-squad in 2016...
In a wild turn of events, literally the very next day… the Bills – who were 6-5 & in the playoff hunt – signed Thomas off the Lions practice-squad & onto their roster…
The dude fought for 2 years trying to get onto a roster as a QB & couldn’t.
He announces his return to the TE position (a position he hadn’t played since high-school, nearly 10 years prior) in the middle of the NFL season & gets signed to a roster the very next day… Unreal.
He announces his return to the TE position (a position he hadn’t played since high-school, nearly 10 years prior) in the middle of the NFL season & gets signed to a roster the very next day… Unreal.
With the Bills signing him mid-season, Thomas having not played TE since HS, & the Bills having Charles Clay & Nick O’Leary established in their roles, there was no path to playing time for Thomas in 2016, but the coaches spoke highly of him. Here’s what Tony Sporano had to say:
“I think he has the tools to be really successful at this position. He’s intelligent… really motivated. He’s hungry. He wants it bad… The pass game comes naturally to him… Even if he doesn’t quite know the techniques of the route-running, he’s catching on really quick.”
BUF liked what they saw out of him enough to give him a crack at making the team again in 2017.
Not only did he make the team – in his first full year playing the TE position since HS – but he actually played, despite Clay, O’Leary, Tolbert, & P. Dimarco ahead of him at TE/FB.
Not only did he make the team – in his first full year playing the TE position since HS – but he actually played, despite Clay, O’Leary, Tolbert, & P. Dimarco ahead of him at TE/FB.
Thomas played 12 games & saw 9 targets, catching 7 of them for 67 yards & this TD…
In 2018 – just his 2nd full season as a TE since HS – he had to earn a roster spot again. Not only did he do so, but he progressed, playing another 12 games, catching over 70% of his targets for the 2nd year in a row, & setting new career highs with 17 targets & 12 receptions.
Last season – just his 3rd full season as a TE since HS – he signed with DET, who had also just signed TE Jesse James to a 4 year/$22.6M contract & drafted TJ Hockenson in the first round. Thomas again had to earn his roster spot as the 3rd TE...
Not only did he do so, but he set career highs, again – each year he’s played TE as a pro.
He played a full 16 & caught 16/28 targets for 173 yards & a TD. He even out-targeted Jesse James 28-27, despite James being the highly-paid free-agent acquisition & also playing 16 games.
He played a full 16 & caught 16/28 targets for 173 yards & a TD. He even out-targeted Jesse James 28-27, despite James being the highly-paid free-agent acquisition & also playing 16 games.
Through those 3 years as a TE, Logan Thomas’s numbers aren’t eye-popping, at all:
7/67/1
12/77
16/173/1
And that definitely means the fantasy floor here is a big fat zero…
But what would those (progressing) numbers look like if he:
7/67/1
12/77
16/173/1
And that definitely means the fantasy floor here is a big fat zero…
But what would those (progressing) numbers look like if he:
-Had played TE through 5 years of college
-Participated in the combine as a TE
-Was highly-drafted as a 4.61-running/through-the-roof-jumping (collegiately productive?) TE
-& Saw a higher snap & route-share through his first 3 seasons more typical of that mold of a TE ???
-Participated in the combine as a TE
-Was highly-drafted as a 4.61-running/through-the-roof-jumping (collegiately productive?) TE
-& Saw a higher snap & route-share through his first 3 seasons more typical of that mold of a TE ???
Instead of him:
-Having played QB through 5 years of college & his first 3 years in the NFL
-Having to make a mid-career transition back to TE
-& having to scrap his way onto a roster as the TE3
???
-Having played QB through 5 years of college & his first 3 years in the NFL
-Having to make a mid-career transition back to TE
-& having to scrap his way onto a roster as the TE3
???
The progression might not be happening on a timeline anybody wants (Thomas just turned 29 in July), but it’s definitely happening…
And I’m not the only one who’s noticed...
And I’m not the only one who’s noticed...
When Logan Thomas became a free-agent this offseason, the Washington Football Team gave him a 2-year/6.1M deal – making him the highest-paid TE & 21st highest-paid player on their roster…
The TE’s behind him are:
The TE’s behind him are:
Jeremy Sprinkle (a lesser athlete who had 7 REC/2 years & just 26 last year despite J. Reed & V.Davis playing just 4 combined games), Richard Rodgers (1 REC in the past 2 years), & Thad Moss (who the team passed on with all 8 of their draft picks, including two 7th rounders)...
That puts Logan Thomas in a firm position to see the most snaps, routes, and targets he’s ever seen – as the starter, in the midst of his continued progression…
On top of that, his only target competition beyond McLaurin is undrafted 2nd year pro Steven Sims, & two rookies…
On top of that, his only target competition beyond McLaurin is undrafted 2nd year pro Steven Sims, & two rookies…
I don’t know whether Logan Thomas will emerge from the jumbled mess that is currently WAS's pecking order as a viable fantasy contributor, whether he’ll explode, or whether he’ll do nothing of any significance at all…
All I know is this – if there was a TE who:
All I know is this – if there was a TE who:
-Ran a 4.61 40 & jumped 35.5”
-Was the No. 1 TE recruit in his class
-Progressed statistically in 3 consecutive seasons as a TE3
-Signed to be a team’s TE1
-& his only target competition outside of the team’s No. 1 WR was an undrafted second-year slot WR & two rookie WR’s…
-Was the No. 1 TE recruit in his class
-Progressed statistically in 3 consecutive seasons as a TE3
-Signed to be a team’s TE1
-& his only target competition outside of the team’s No. 1 WR was an undrafted second-year slot WR & two rookie WR’s…
I’d care.
I’d care a hell of a friggin’ lot.
So I’m putting the failures of Logan Thomas the QB aside & giving Logan Thomas the TE a chance – like the NFL is.
I’d care a hell of a friggin’ lot.
So I’m putting the failures of Logan Thomas the QB aside & giving Logan Thomas the TE a chance – like the NFL is.
He’s free & you even have the luxury of being able to watch him go undrafted in most leagues & still have the opportunity to possibly scoop him up of waivers if he does anything the first few weeks…
I’ve already spent my last pick on him in a 20-round best-ball league & I’ll likely add one or two more shares of him with my last pick in another league or two, because why the hell not?
The ceiling is the roof.
The ceiling is the roof.
If you’d like more information on Logan Thomas, here are the sources I pulled information & quotes from. They add a lot of context to his journey as a football player & I highly recommend reading each of them as well:
https://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Logan&l=Thomas&i=21131
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/washington-football-team/cap/
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/washington-football-team/logan-thomas-14531/cash-earnings/
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/washington-football-team/cap/
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/washington-football-team/logan-thomas-14531/cash-earnings/
& Here’s the little bit of film I could find on him…
(plz find me more!)
(plz find me more!)
