Commanders TE Thomas: Ready for Week 1?

In his first season as Washington Commanders offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy won't have an all-time great tight end at his disposal, as he did for years in Kansas City with Travis Kelce. Still, one would think the tight end will still be a crucial factor in Bieniemy's offense, which makes Logan Thomas important for a team hoping to compete for a postseason berth. 

As he deals with a calf strain, Thomas was held out of the team's first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, and the expectation is he'll have the same fate Monday when the Commanders host the Baltimore Ravens. 

So with the regular season approaching, how much time does Thomas need to ramp up before appearing in a game? 

“The biggest thing with Logan's going to be more about conditioning than anything else," coach Ron Rivera said. "He's been doing what he can as far as trying to keep himself conditioned. He's been working in the weight room with the strength conditioning guys as well. He's sharp. He's already up to speed on what we're doing offensively. And then once we get him back on the field it’ll be about getting his timing with the rest of the guys on the offense, especially with the quarterback too.” 

Thomas caught 72 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns in 2020, his first season in Washington. However, since then, he's struggled to stay on the field. A calf strain cost him three games in 2022, which followed up a 2021 season where he was limited to just six games because of a hamstring strain and an eventual torn ACL in his left knee. Draft Sharks estimates that Thomas has an 80 percent chance to get injured in 2023, and projects that he'll miss 3.31 games this season. 

So it's not surprising that the Commanders are being very cautious with the 31-year-old out tight end. At the same time, the options behind Thomas are pretty underwhelming. John Bates has 34 catches for 357 yards in two NFL seasons. Cole Turner -- a fifth-round pick in 2022 -- had four catches in his rookie season. As Sam Howell prepares for his first season as the team's starting quarterback, having a healthy Thomas feels vital. 

Washington opens up the regular season by hosting the Arizona Cardinals and then traveling to Denver to face the Broncos, two winnable games. But after that, things get much more difficult in a hurry, with matchups against the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles in consecutive weeks on the slate. So having Thomas healthy by late-September, if not sooner, needs to be the focus for the Commanders.