Thomas said earlier this month that he believes he'll continue to improve as he prepares for his fifth season of playing tight end, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
The former college quarterback broke out for a 72-670-6 receiving line in his age-29 season after signing last offseason with a Washington team that had minimal talent at tight end. The team's offense has stiffer competition for targets this year, but Thomas' starting job appears secure, and it's reasonable to expect continued development given that he didn't start playing at tight end until 2017. This will also be the first time he's played in the same offensive scheme in back-to-back seasons, as Thomas spent time with the Cardinals, Dolphins, Giants, Lions and Bills before finding his first starting job in Washington in 2021. His late breakout was driven by volume (110 targets) rather than efficiency (6.1 yards per target), but Thomas could improve the latter to make up for the loss of the former if he's seeing more accurate passes in a better offense. Washington is counting on 38-year-old quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to match his strong performances in Miami the past two years.