This is not a surprise: The National Football Post reported that the Redskins have continued to shop Devin Thomas.
But, really, this isn’t new. The Redskins were shopping Thomas before the final cuts; they haven’t exactly warmed up to him so it makes sense that they’re still looking to trade him. Also, they keep talking about how much progress he’s making at receiver yet he never plays? Can you say sell job?
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Teams figured he would be released in the final cuts so why give up anything for him? Thomas’ athleticism is intriguing, but his reputation around the league is that he would take a long time to pick up any offense. That was also the concern coming out of college after he really only had one good season (albeit a very good one). It hasn’t changed.
It’s doubtful Thomas could go anywhere and help a team’s passing game this season. He might make a couple plays, but not enough to make a difference. He’s a good returner, but not a great one and hasn’t changed any games.
In the past Thomas’ supporters could blame his issues on the coach, quarterback or scheme. All those are gone now. And this isn’t personal with Mike Shanahan; he just doesn’t like him as a player. In the spring, he was asked a somewhat easy question about Thomas and what he thought about him coming out of college. The way he answered the question, talking more about Thomas being unable to do much in the spring, and his body language revealed all anyone really needed to know. Also know that in talking to one Redskin in February, he worried that neither Thomas nor Malcolm Kelly would ever “get it” in terms of how they needed to train to be good pros. They can still grow into that role, but that was this player’s concern.
It should also be clear to Thomas that his situation won’t change unless there are a few injuries to others. He would be best served going elsewhere and perhaps hooking on with a team that liked him enough coming out of Michigan State. That way he’ll finally get some chances. Publicly, Thomas has handled his situation well. He plays hard — he had two excellent blocks on punt returns yesterday — and doesn’t pout. He deserves credit for this. But what he wants is a chance; to get one, he’ll likely have to leave.
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