Position Group Breakdown – Tight End

July 3, 2020

By Noonefromtampa

Welcome to another edition of our position group breakdown series.  Here’s what been covered so far:

In this post, we’ll cover the tight end position group, which will undergo major changes this season.

Departures

Jordan Reed

Vernon Davis

Jerome Cunningham

Arrivals

Richard Rodgers (free agent)

Logan Thomas (free agent)

Marcus Baugh (free agent)

Thaddeus Moss (undrafted free agent)

Returning Players

Hale Hentges

Jeremy Sprinkle

Caleb Wilson

Key Player Highlights

Marcus Baugh (6’4” / 245) has not played a game in the NFL but did play in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF) with the San Diego Fleet during the spring of 2019. In eight games, Baugh caught 13 passes on 27 targets for 208 yards (16.0 average) and two touchdowns. 2019, saw Baugh signed by the Panthers and he spent the year on injured reserved. He was signed by the Redskins as a free agent this spring after being cut by the Panthers.

Hale Hentges (6’4” / 245) was claimed off waivers last October from the Colts. He saw action in 11 games, and caught 8 passes on 14 targets for 103 yards and one touchdown. Hentges was a good blocker in the run game and shows an upside as a pass catcher.

Thaddeus Moss (6’3” / 249) is an undrafted free agent from the 2019 national champion LSU Tigers. Moss played in only 17 games in college, so he doesn’t come with an impressive record other than being the son of NFL great Randy Moss.

Richard Rodgers (6’4” / 257) was signed from the Eagles this offseason after only playing in 8 games the last two seasons. He had a very good year in 2015 but other than that has been average at best and injured frequently. He was signed for a veteran minimum ($1M), one year “prove it” deal.

Jeremy Sprinkle (6’5” / 255) is a 2017 5th round pick of the Redskins. Sprinkle had an excellent opportunity last year with Reed and Davis being hurt, but did not really deliver in the passing game. He caught 26 passes on 40 targets for 241 yards with one touchdown in 16 games.

Logan Thomas (6’6” / 250) was signed from the Lions during free agency to a two year $6.145M contract. Thomas, a converted quarterback, is expected to be the primary receiving threat at tight end in 2020. He had 16 receptions on 28 targets for 173 yards with one touchdown in 2019. Thomas is athletic but raw and still learning the tight end position. He has a lot of upside as a player but will need to show it this year.

Caleb Wilson (6’4” / 240) was a December signing from the Cardinals practice squad. He did not post any stats in 2019.

Predictions

The team will probably keep four tight ends between the active roster and practice squad. The top three candidates right now are Thomas, Sprinkle and Hentges, leaving five other players competing for the last spot. But the reality of the situation is that none of these players are a roster lock with a new coaching staff. This position is wide open but also needs a player to step up and help out the Redskins young quarterback. Nothing is as good as a solid tight end to throw at during a blitz or pocket collapse. My personal projection is the Thomas, Sprinkle, Hentges and Moss are the tight ends who make the team this season.