5 Detroit Lions players you may have forgotten about from the Matt Patricia era

1. TE Logan Thomas (2019)

Thomas was a toolsy college quarterback at Virginia Tech, highlighted by his sheer size (6-foot-6), and he was taken by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. After being cut by the Cardinals before his second season, he spent much of the 2015 season on the Miami Dolphins practice squad.

Thomas was on and off the New York Giants’ practice squad at a furious pace in 2016, before finally being cut in November. He then landed with the Lions for the the first time, on the practice squad in November of 2016 as he also made the position switch to tight end. The Buffalo Bills signed him off the Lions’ practice squad days later, and he would spend the 2017 and 2018 seasons in Buffalo.

Thomas landed back in Detroit in 2019, still a very raw player as a tight end and now 28 years old. Over 16 games that season for the Lions, he had 16 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown–with 10 of those catches going for first downs.

Thomas signed with Washington in 2020, and had a breakthrough season (72 receptions for 670 yards and six touchdowns). His 2021 season was cut short by a torn ACL, but he has finally found a place in the league as a tight end.