Logan Thomas Injury History & Analysis

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that TE Zach Ertz has agreed to a one-year deal with the Commanders worth "up to" $5 million. We'll be curious to see more specific terms on the contract -- such as whether it even guarantees he'll even break training camp with the team. Ertz managed just 27 catches over six games for the Cardinals last year, coming off a 2022 ACL tear. He failed to reach another active roster after Arizona waived him Nov. 30. (He finished the year on Detroit's practice squad.) Ertz will turn 34 in November and has set career lows in yards per catch each of the past two seasons (8.6, then 6.9). He spent his pre-2023 Arizona time playing under then-HC Kliff Kingsbury, who joined Washington as OC this offseason. We'll see how much that factored into Ertz's signing and what Kingsbury might have planned. The Commanders have room on the TE depth chart after dumping Logan Thomas, with only Cole Turner and John Bates under contract. But the Ertz signing shouldn't exclude them from making any other moves at the position. You can consider Ertz as a third TE late in your best ball drafts, but we wouldn't chase him any earlier than that.

The Commanders released TE Logan Thomas, saving $6.5 million against the 2024 salary cap. Thomas caught 55 balls last year -- 14th among TEs -- but averaged just 9.0 yards per reception on a 6.1-yard average depth of target. We'll see where he lands and how much playing time he claims, but Thomas is a low-upside fantasy asset at this point of his career. The Commanders, meanwhile, are left with TEs Cole Turner, John Bates, and Armani Rogers, who have combined for just 71 NFL catches. The team figures to add to that group in free agency and/or the draft.

The Commanders are hiring Kliff Kingsbury as their OC under HC Dan Quinn, according to multiple reports. Kingsbury had an underwhelming tenure as Cardinals HC from 2019 to 2022, going 28-37-1 over those four seasons. He landed two of those teams inside the top 8 in total yards, but none cracked the top 10 in points. Kingsbury at least deployed fast-paced attacks, with three of his four offenses finishing top 3 in pace and offensive plays. He joins a Washington squad with plenty of skill-position talent and the No. 2 overall pick in this spring's draft, which will presumably be used to take a QB.

Commanders WR Curtis Samuel (toe) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots. He was replaced last week by WR Jamison Crowder, who caught all seven of his targets for 95 yards and a score. We wouldn’t go chasing that production. Samuel’s absence should mean a few extra targets to divvy between WR Terry McLaurin, WR Jahan Dotson, and TE Logan Thomas.