Detroit Lions Sign Former Quarterback Logan Thomas to Practice Squad as Tight End
By Zac Snyder
Practice squad signings aren’t typically very exciting but the Detroit Lions signing of Logan Thomas as tight end definitely has some intrigue.
Logan Thomas became an NFL quarterback when the Arizona Cardinals drafted him out of Virginia Tech in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. It was a boom or bust pick for a team without a long-term plan for the position post-Carson Palmer, and one was quickly put in the bust column.
The Cardinals waived Thomas before the 2015 season when accuracy issues made it clear he wasn’t going to make their roster. Still, the combination of size and athleticism led the Thomas to move on to the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants on a series of waiver claims. He couldn’t win a spot on the Giants quarterback depth chart for this season but stuck with the Giants as a quarterback on their practice squad. His Giants tenure came to an end earlier this month.
Now, he’s on to a new team, the Detroit Lions, and this time he has a new position. His NFL career as a quarterback appears over as he has been added to the Lions’ practice squad as a tight end.
Lions have signed TE Logan Thomas to the team’s practice squad & released LB Brandon Chubb from the practice squad.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) November 28, 2016
As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes, Thomas went to Virginia Tech as a tight end – he even played in the Army All-American Game as highly touted tight end prospect – before getting the opportunity to play quarterback for the Hokies.
No idea what #Lions will get out of new TE Logan Thomas. People have tried to get him to switch positions for years. Signed at VTech as a TE
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 28, 2016
Terrelle Pryor has turned himself into a very productive wide receiver after making a change from quarterback so perhaps seeing that success has made Thomas receptive to the position change. His career clearly wasn’t going anywhere as a quarterback and the fact he has a tight end background makes a little investment worth the Lions’ trouble.
The physical tools are there as that is what made Thomas such an intriguing quarterback prospect. At 6-6, 248 pounds, he has good size for the tight end position and posted a 40-yard dash time just one one hundredth of a second behind Eric Ebron at the 2014 NFL Combine. Ebron posted a 4.60 second 40 time compared to 4.61 for Thomas.
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Signing Thomas is a wild card for the Lions that might not ever pay off, but there is no risk in giving him a look on the practice squad. The Lions are awfully thin at tight end behind Eric Ebron and now is the time teams will look to bring in some players with an eye toward next season.