Logan Thomas to be cut by Commanders

Highlights

• Logan Thomas has been waived by the Commanders, saving the team $6.5 million.
• Despite injuries and inconsistent quarterback play, Thomas has potential and is a matchup problem at tight end.
• With over $96 million in salary cap space, Washington is more financially well-situated than any other team in the league heading into the 2024 league year.

One of the most athletic tight ends in the league, Logan Thomas has been the most successful quarterback-to-position-player conversion in the NFL in recent years. Still, he has also been beset by injuries on a regular basis.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Washington Commanders have deemed Thomas surplus to requirements and intend to cut him (one of many cuts that GIVEMESPORT predicted in our salary cap casualty predictions), making him a free agent ahead of the new league year.

Thomas bounced around the league from 2014-2019, playing for six different franchises during that time, but seemed to have found a home with the Commanders, with whom he signed in 2020. Now, he will be back on the market, and could end up playing for his seventh different NFL franchise in 2024.

Thomas’ Release Will Save Commanders $6.5 million

He’s dealt with numerous injuries over the years

Thomas was first drafted as a quarterback by the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. He would play sparingly until Detroit decided to convert him to a tight end. He certainly had tight end size, standing at 6’6″ and weighing in at 250 pounds. Despite that massive frame, Thomas shined at the 2014 combine, running a 4.61 40-yard dash and recording a 35.5″ vertical leap.

The conversion to tight end took a few seasons, but Washington believed in his potential enough to sign Thomas in 2020. During his first season with the Commanders, Thomas recorded 72 catches for 670 yards and six touchdowns and seemed to be blossoming into one of the top weapons in the league at the tight end position.

However, he has dealt with poor quarterback play and injuries in the three seasons since, most recently putting up 55 receptions for 496 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. After earning just under 42 yards a game in his breakout 2020 campaign, Thomas has managed just over 28 yards a contest from 2021-2023.

The Commanders will save $6.5 million by releasing Thomas, adding to their pot of salary cap gold. No team in the NFL currently has a bigger nest egg than Washington, who have over $96 million in cap space after this most recent move.

While the Commanders are looking for something fresh at tight end, Thomas will still find a market for himself in free agency. He’s not a great blocker, but he is a receiver who is too big for defensive backs to cover and too fast for linebackers to keep up with.

Every team in the league is looking for a player like this, who can not only make plays for himself but also draw attention away from teammates. And we’re only a few years removed from a fellow tight end (Darren Waller) reinventing himself to go from cut candidate to Pro Bowler in the span of a year. Thomas could certainly follow a similar path.

In today’s game, most teams employ multiple tight end sets, or “12 personnel”, so there will certainly be interest in Thomas. Some teams to watch for his services include the Cincinnati Bengals, the New England Patriots, and the Los Angeles Chargers, all of whom have holes to plug at the position.

Source: Mike Garafolo

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract figures courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise noted.