The 2020 season is here, and we have you covered as the Washington Football Team progresses through its inaugural campaign under head coach Ron Rivera. Stay up to date with "WFT Daily," which comes out every weekday evening.
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People are sleeping on Logan Thomas, head coach Ron Rivera said after the Washington Football Team's 25-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. And with Thomas putting up career numbers, he might be right.
Thomas, who switched to tight end after playing one season at quarterback with the Arizona Cardinals, had a career-high 42 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 6 against the New York Giants. That was followed up by another career-high showing -- this time 60 yards and a score -- on Sunday against the Cowboys.
It's the most successful two-game stretch of Thomas' career, and while he is still learning the position, Rivera and the rest of Washington's coaching staff are starting to see him develop into the player they envisioned when the team signed him this offseason.
"He's done a heck of a job." Rivera said. "Logan, I think, is a guy that can continue to grow in his role for us. I'm pretty excited about that."
Like the rest of Washington's offense, Thomas has steadily improved the past two weeks after struggling at the start of October. Against the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams, he had just two receptions for 12 yards.
Lately, though, Thomas has been one of quarterback Kyle Allen’s most reliable weapons. He has caught 87.5% of his targets in the past two games and averaged nearly 15 yards per reception; 49% of his 208 receiving yards have come in that stretch.
"I'm just thankful to be a part of it, out there having a great time," Thomas said. "I'm just trying to be a great teammate and do my job."
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner sees the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Thomas as a "big, athletic guy" who can run and catch the ball. That was on display against the Cowboys when he scored his third touchdown of the season. With Washington holding a 15-3 lead in the second quarter, Thomas caught Allen's pass at Dallas' 11-yard line, shrugged off linebacker Jaylon Smith with ease and ran into the end zone.
"He takes his job very seriously, and I expect him to continue to improve," Turner said. "He's an efficient player, and he's productive. That's what we need him to be."
Rivera said there are flashes of Greg Olsen, who was the Carolina Panthers' tight end for nine seasons and made three Pro Bowls, in Thomas' skillset. Thomas is not at that level yet, but if the past two weeks are any indication of his progress, he's certainly on the right path.
"As he learns our offense and puts that into his own mental frame, as he goes through his route progressions and things like that, he can understand what he has to do," Rivera said. "Because of that and being a smarter player, he knows who to run away from. He knows where his leverage is coming from. So, the more and more comfortable he gets, the smarter he is, I think the better he'll play."
QUICK HITS
-- Jack Del Rio says the defense will carry on without Landon Collins: Safety Landon Collins was placed on Injured Reserve on Tuesday afternoon after suffering an Achilles injury during Sunday’s game. Collins has been one of the few constants for Washington's secondary in the past two seasons with 158 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. Still, the group has played well as a whole, allowing a league-low 185.9 passing yards through seven games, and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said Monday the defense will find a way to finish the season without the three-time Pro Bowler.
"It's always tough when you lose a good football player. He's a tough guy that was voted a team captain by his peers. Obviously, any time that happens, it's something you have to work to overcome. We're just going to ask him to heal up and stay positive. We're going to carry on. We're going to continue on and expect to play well."
-- Jonathan Allen wants Washington to be judged on consistency: Washington has had a turbulent first half of the season. A five-game losing streak was sandwiched between two wins against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cowboys. The team enters the bye week on a high note, but Jonathan Allen doesn't want the team to be judged on the outcome of one game; he would rather Washington show more consistency.
"We played a great game [against the Cowboys], but that doesn't define who we are as a team. We've got to do it consistently. We had a great game, but are we a good enough team to do it consistently? That's when you start to define who you are as a team and who you are as an organization. So we definitely took a step in the right direction, but nobody's satisfied, nobody's relieved. We expect it. We expect to play well every time we touch the field, and when we do it, we expect to do it again."
-- Morgan Moses is eager to suit up against the Giants: The bye week is a time for Washington to get some rest and prepare for the second half of the season. The team will take the field again in 12 days when it hosts the Giants, who staved off a comeback by Washington to secure its first win of the season. Morgan Moses has seen the progress Washington has made the past two weeks, and he can't wait to start a four game-stretch in which the team's opponents have a combined record of 7-19-1.
"I really honestly wish I could just play the Giants right now instead of taking this bye week, because the momentum is so high. You can feel the togetherness in the locker room. We've preached about it since Game 1. We have to go out there and play complimentary football. We lose the coin toss, we get the ball first, we go down and drive the ball down to the half-inch mark. We had a turnover, but it showed we can move the ball on [Dallas'] defense. We talked about starting fast, and we were able to do that."
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