Tight end Logan Thomas, who missed last week's game against the Buffalo Bills with a concussion, has been cleared to play and will be active for the Washington Commanders' Week 4 NFC East matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Thomas first showed up on the injury report last week after taking a hard hit to the head from Denver Broncos' safety Kareem Jackson in Week 2 after making a catch in the end zone. Thomas ended up holding onto the ball and scoring Washington's first touchdown of the day, but he did not return and was later put in the concussion protocol.
After taking a week to recover, Thomas returned to practice in full pads on Wednesday and was limited on the team's first injury report. He was upgraded to a full participant on Thursday and Friday.
In the locker room, Thomas said he was ready to roll.
"We're just excited to take the field and get that taste out of our mouths from last weekend," Thomas said.
The Washington Commanders were back on the field for their second day of prep for the Philadelphia Eagles. Check out the top photos from Thursday's practice.
Thomas' return should help a Commanders offense that struggled mightily during their Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills. His chemistry with Sam Howell would have been valuable for Washington when its offense moved into Bills territory, as that was the area where the unit either stalled or committed a turnover that ruined promising drives. And with a talented Eagles defense next on the schedule, it will be paramount to give Howell as many options as possible.
On Wednesday, head coach Ron Rivera said that putting Thomas back in the lineup will help Howell get back on track after throwing four interceptions in Week 3.
"Logan is a very smart football player, having been a quarterback and been a quarterback in this league," Rivera said. "Then converting to the tight end position, he adds a little something to the offense and he can help Sam with certain aspects of the offense."
Thomas seemed confident about the Commanders' chances against the Eagles. The 37-3 loss to the Bills, he said, was a lot closer than it looked, but mistakes and missed opportunities led to the Commanders "beat ourselves pretty good."
"All we've got to do is go out there and execute our plays," Thomas said. "I think we'll be just fine. Obviously, it's a division game. It's gonna be fun. It's gonna be a hostile environment, so we're excited about it."
Two of the Commanders' starting cornerbacks, Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Benjamin St-Juste, were listed on the injury report with elbow and neck injuries, respectively, but both will be active for Sunday after being full participants for the entire week. Safety Percy Butler had a foot injury and will be questionable.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. dealt with an illness all week and did not participate on Thursday or Friday. He has ben ruled out for Sunday. Should the team decide to elevate a player from the practice squad on Saturday, fullback Alex Armah or veteran running back Derrick Gore could be options.
