Teams typically welcome back discarded veterans after roster-cutdown day, upon completing necessary roster gymnastics. The 49ers, however, will reunite with Logan Thomas before that point.
The defending NFC champions brought back the veteran tight end on another one-year deal Thursday. San Francisco waived safety Tayler Hawkins from their 90-man roster to make room for the returning Thomas. A former UDFA, Hawkins has one NFL game under his belt — a Week 18 start for the 49ers last season.
The 49ers cut Thomas on August 9, so he will have ended up missing roughly two weeks of practice. Given the team’s decision to move on early in camp, it should not be considered a lock Thomas will end up on San Francisco’s 53-man roster. That said, the longtime Washington pass catcher could be a candidate for the practice squad, seeing as he was available for two weeks and is back with the 49ers. Teams are allotted six spots for vested veterans on their 16-man P-squads.
Thomas has been cut twice this year, with the Commanders jettisoning a more lucrative contract (three years, $24MM) compared to the 49ers, who had signed him to a one-year, $1.21MM deal ($300K guaranteed) contract in June. The converted quarterback started 49 games for the Commanders from 2020-23, posting 670 receiving yards in 2020 — to set up a Washington extension — and 496 last season. Thomas added four TDs in Eric Bieniemy‘s offense. The new Commanders regime bailed, however. Thomas, 33, is well removed from the November 2021 ACL tear that sidetracked his Washington stay.
San Francisco has George Kittle signed through the 2025 season, and while the team lost Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley (both to the Falcons), veteran Eric Saubert and 2023 draftees Cameron Latu and Brayden Willis are on the roster. Jake Tonges, a 2022 Bears UDFA, and rookie undrafted player Mason Pline round out the 49ers’ tight end room. Teams typically keep three or four TEs, outlining where San Francisco will be at this point next week.