Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas will play in Sunday’s season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to ESPN’s John Keim. Thomas is questionable for the game set to kick off at 1:00 p.m.
Thomas tore his ACL along with his MCL and meniscus nine months ago during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Thomas started training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list as he recovered from knee surgery. However, the Commanders activated him from the PUP list on Aug. 22.
His workload in practice progressed over the past couple of weeks. Keim added that Thomas had reps during Friday’s red zone drill. That segment is usually for players who will play in the game.
Thomas had hoped he would be able to play by either Sunday or next week.
Since joining the Commanders in 2020, Thomas has been the second-most reliable passing option behind Terry McLaurin.
In 2020, Thomas had 72 catches for 670 yards and six touchdowns. Last season, he was limited to six games, first due to a hamstring injury and later to a season-ending knee injury. He recorded 18 catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns.
Thomas should provide a safety net for new Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz has a history of feeding passes to his tight end. Since 2016, Wentz has had the second-highest target rate for tight ends per TruMedia (h/t Ben Standig).
The Commanders enter the season with its deepest group of tight ends in recent years. But rookie Cole Turner is also questionable, nursing a hamstring injury. Second-year-pro John Bates and undrafted rookie Armani Rogers are promising but are not as experienced or polished as Thomas.
