Commanders 'Cautious' With Logan Thomas Injury, Says Ron Rivera

Washington Commanders veteran tight end Logan Thomas is being carefully eased through training camp, and Ron Rivera knows that getting him right for Week 1 is crucial.

Unfortunately, injuries are just a part of football, and Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas just can't seem to escape them.

Currently dealing with a calf injury or the "old man" injury, Thomas has been on the sidelines during portions of Commanders training camp.

Washington got its preseason off to a good start, defeating the Cleveland Browns 17-15, but Thomas was nowhere to be seen. Head coach Ron Rivera gave fans an update on the tight end's current situation.

“At this point, this is caution," Rivera said. "He's a little bit older, veteran guy, a guy that's coming back, and we just want to be careful with him. Maybe we're being overly cautious, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is the guy's ready to play when we open up the season.”

Given that Thomas has been held out of practice for the entire week, making sure that he is fully over his injury is crucial. Calf injuries have a nagging way of sticking around, so the Commanders hope that by playing the long game, Thomas will be ready to go come Week 1 of the regular season.

But does Thomas' age also have something to do with Washington putting him in cotton wool?

“It wouldn't do us any good to get him out there a little too early, and all of a sudden that injury flares up again," Rivera said. "So for the most part, we just want to be cautious. We want to want to take our time with an aged veteran like that.”

With Washington now in full-go mode as joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens begin, Thomas will no doubt be taking mental reps on the sidelines.

After all, it isn't a big deal having him sit now if it means he is ready to go come Week 1 and for the rest of the season.

In Eric Bieniemy's new offense, the tight end position does see a lot of work, so having Thomas fit and firing is paramount...and if that means being cautious with him until he's physically ready, well, that's just fine with us.

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