One of the common reactions to the news of the Lions signing tight end Logan Thomas was one of confusion. Many fans still remember Thomas as the quarterback for Virginia Tech, after all.
Thomas was a fourth-round pick back in 2012 by Arizona as a quarterback. He played in exactly one NFL game at QB, completing just one of his 9 passes, albeit for an 81-yard TD.
Since then, he’s been converting to tight end. The transformation really took hold last year in Buffalo, and the Lions are hopeful his game continues to grow at his new position. But Lions coach Matt Patricia isn’t ready to bury the idea of Thomas getting another pass attempt or two.
During his media session at the NFL owners meeting, Patricia left the door open to use Thomas on gadget plays, something the Bills did once last year.
“Great example of another guy who is an oustanding player,” Patricia said of Thomas. “Tough guy. Played at Buffalo. Played for a guy, Brian Daboll, who I worked with before. So kind of that same mentality — a gritty, grind-it-out kid. Loves the game. Extremely athletic.”
Then he added the winking coda,
“He can throw it a little bit too, so you never know when one of those plays will come up.”
Patricia is excited about Thomas’ potential, and his versatility plays into that.
