Tight End Group 2020 – intriguing but limited?

The Washington Redskins, under former Head Coach Jay Gruden, were a much better football team with Jordan Reed suiting up. The problem-the well documented problem-was that on any given Sunday, the fantastically talented Tight End was frequently unavailable.

Reed’s career in Washington came to a depressing-yet probably fitting-end in the third pre-season game of 2019 when he took a downright nasty hit from Falcons' safety Keanu Neal. It was not until February of 2020 that he was medically cleared from concussion.

The Redskins, unsurprisingly, released Jordan from his expensive contract, and, to date, he remains an unsigned free agent.

When the still-rapid Vernon Davis decided to hang up his cleats and concentrate on a acting career, new Head Coach Ron Rivera was left with a noticeably-light TE group. The depth chart by the end of 2019 was sobering; TE1 Jeremy Sprinkle & TE2 Hale Hentges.

The pursuit of Greg Olsen failed with the vastly experienced veteran heading to the Seahawks. The Redskins did make free agency moves, with ex-Packer Richard Rodgers signing a one-year deal along with QB-turned-TE Logan Thomas (formerly of Detroit) who penned a two-year contract.

Of the former, another well-known Rodgers in Green Bay seems to be a fan.

Aaron, when Richard was released in 2018 said “Rich is a great player; loved playing with him. Obviously, he was a part of a couple of great moments in Packers history and moments in my career as well”.

Perhaps this was an overly-sentimental statement from the future Hall of Famer, but a one-year deal is favourable to both parties. The oft-injured Rodgers has the chance to get healthy and contribute in 2020.

A positional change player is always intriguing, but perhaps overly so in this case, with Thomas long converted from his College QB days, playing TE since 2016.

The UKHTTR opinion is both these signings are likely to be stop-gaps for 2020, with the Redskins having a bountiful cap space next offseason and most likely to draft on the offensive side of the ball in the higher rounds of the 2021 Draft.

We invited Senior Drafttek Draft Analyst, and regular Hogs Haven contributor, Kennedy Paynter, to give his quick-fire pros and cons of the five TEs employed by the Washington Redskins along with a prediction as to who will make the final 55.

Jeremy Sprinkle

Sprinkle entered the league with the frame of a traditional “Y” (in-line) TE that had not been filled out yet. His lack of suddenness was always going to limit his ceiling, but he came in willing to block/do whatever was asked of him in the run game.

While he has put on a good of upper and lower-body strength since he was drafted, his blocking technique is still lacking and he has had issues with drops. Sprinkle can still be an average to above-average starting TE, he just needs to put it all together.

Hale Hentges

An under-utilized option at Alabama, Hentges came into the league via the Colts’ practice squad. He was a team captain and he was one of the best blockers on the Crimson Tide, but his lack of size (6’4” 245 lbs), lack of production, and poor athletic numbers at the NFL Combine pushed him out of the Draft.

While his athletic numbers point to a player who would struggle as a receiver in the NFL, he impressed coaches early on with his ability to separate. Hentges has a limited ceiling, but could be a serviceable TE2 in the league.

Logan Thomas

The former Virginia Tech quarterback entered the league as a TE in Buffalo. My fiancé is a Bills fan, so I met Thomas at training camp at St. John Fisher College.

While Thomas had the right attitude and mental makeup to be an NFL player, he was obviously quite raw at the position and lacked the size needed to play the position. He has gained strength since entering the league, but he is still young in TE years. Thomas’ height/length could prove to be an asset moving forward, but inline blocking will likely never be a strength of his.

Richard Rodgers

Rodgers lost 30 lbs his final season at Cal (2013) and shifted to inside receiver in coach Sonny Dykes’ offense. He was drafted by the Packers in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft because of his potential as an “F” (or move) TE.

Being the son of a coach (Redskins’ Assistant Defensive Backs Coach), Rodgers has the mental makeup of a player who understands how to get open, which makes up for tightness in his lower-body.

He knows how to get open in short to intermediate and has good hands. Rodgers has dealt with injuries the past two seasons, so the possibility for a bounce-back season exists, but let’s not get carried away; with one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, he averaged just 291 yards per season in Green Bay.

Thaddeus Moss

Thad Moss, son of Hall of Fame WR Randy Moss, is not the receiver his father was. He is, however, a high-motor, mean blocker who is willing to do the dirty work.

His hands are reminiscent of his fathers, as he catches everything thrown his way. The problem? He isn’t a big guy (only 6’2”) and struggles to separate. I still think Moss can be a solid “Y” TE in the NFL, but he needs to land in a system that allows him to block in-line and find soft spots in underneath zones. If he is asked to run routes or split out, he will not be an effective player.

Marcus Baugh

Baugh entered the league as a player with the right frame for a TE…and that’s about it. He had questionable hands and struggled as a run-blocker. Likely on an NFL roster because of his frame/possible upside of a player that played in a big program, Baugh looks like a longshot to make the Redskins roster.

Roster Prediction: Sprinkle, Thomas, Moss make the roster, Hentges to the practice squad

Sprinkle seems like a lock, and possibly the only true TE on the roster. While Hentges had some shine late in the season, I think the Redskins would fear losing undrafted rookie Thad Moss if they tried to sneak him onto the practice squad.

Richard Rodgers seems like Rivera giving one of his coach’s sons a chance, but his contract only includes $136,000 guaranteed. I think the team will be choosing between their free agency signings at the position, Thomas and Rodgers, and the lack of injury history, the upside, and the contract Thomas signed ($2.25m guaranteed) point to him being the guy.