Although it hasn't materialized into winning, the Las Vegas Raiders have boasted arguably the best young tight end duo in the NFL over the last two seasons. Injuries have limited the amount of time they've played together, but overall offensive ineptitude has mainly hindered their production ceiling.
And while fans shouldn't necessarily expect at least one of them not to be on the field, it never hurts to have solid depth at the position. The Raiders' roster is fairly top-heavy at this point, and they could stand to add a few more pieces in the second and third-string slots before training camp rolls around.
In that vein, Las Vegas made another free agency move on Tuesday, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Raiders are re-signing veteran tight end Ian Thomas to back up Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. Exact contract details were not announced immediately.
Las Vegas Raiders re-sign veteran tight end Ian Thomas
Thomas did a fine job in the third tight end role for Las Vegas last season, playing 318 offensive snaps. He caught just 13 passes for 114 yards, but five of his receptions went for a first down. Thomas also chipped in on special teams, playing 96 snaps throughout the year.
Although Thomas wasn't a major contributor in the pass game, he was apparently a solid enough pass and run blocker in their eyes to warrant a return to the Raiders. His contract shouldn't be worth much more than the league minimum, as he made just $1.5 million on a one-year deal last offseason.
New head coach Klint Kubiak likes to utilize multiple tight ends, and Las Vegas having a third that they can rotate in never hurts. Many were thinking that, with Mayer in a contract year, the Raiders could draft a tight end in Round 6, where a run of young prospects at the position is expected to occur.
Re-signing Thomas isn't likely to change that equation. Perhaps it makes tight end slightly less of a need this year, but fans know that Kubiak and John Spytek aren't just looking at 2026 when building the roster. Only Bowers will still be under contract for 2027 at the tight end position as of now.
Others like Carter Runyon and Albert Okwuegbunam are still on the roster, and they both flashed last year. Day 3 prospects like Eli Raridon, John-Michael Gyllenborg, Justin Joly, Dae'Quan Wright, Dallen Bentley, Tanner Koziol, Nate Boerkircher and Riley Nowakowski could intrigue the Raiders as well.
So, while the re-signing of Thomas looks like a solid move and a way for Las Vegas to hedge its bets at the tight end position, it doesn't change the long-term outlook of the group. Thomas could even get beaten out in training camp, who knows? But they like him enough to let him battle for a spot.