The Raiders’ tight end room has become one of the deepest in football, and Ian Thomas is still hanging around in the middle of it.
Las Vegas drafted Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer and Georgia’s Brock Bowers in back-to-back years, and both have already shown why they were such coveted prospects. Bowers has surged into one of the sport’s top tight ends, while Mayer is still waiting for a bigger opportunity in a contract year. That kind of talent at the top makes the rest of the room matter even more, especially for a team that needs help both as a passing threat and as a blocker in the run game.
That is where Thomas fits under first-year head coach Klint Kubiak. The ninth-year veteran has never been a big producer, but he has carved out a long NFL life by doing the kinds of things coaches keep around: blocking, special teams work, and being dependable in the room. His career started in Carolina, where he arrived as a fourth-round pick from Indiana and was once seen as the heir to Panthers great Greg Olsen.
That transition never fully took hold. Olsen was aging and dealing with injuries during Thomas’ rookie season, and Thomas showed enough in 2018 to make the Panthers think a smooth handoff might be coming.
It never turned into that. Over seven seasons in Carolina, he never got past 300 receiving yards again and never developed into the consistent pass-catcher the Panthers had hoped for.
Still, Thomas has lasted. He signed with the Raiders last season and has now been in the league for eight years, with 1,100-plus yards and four career touchdowns. That kind of résumé does not scream staying power, but Thomas has survived by being a good teammate, working hard, contributing on special teams and doing enough as a blocker to stay useful.
He has also shown that value in Las Vegas at times. When his number is called, he is ready to play. The question has always been whether he can be trusted as a receiver, and that has followed him for years.
This season, the setup could give him another chance. The offensive line has improved, Bowers is coming off a season filled with nagging injuries, and Kubiak is expected to lean heavily on his tight ends in both phases. Thomas should have a role, but he is also fighting Carter Runyan for the final tight end spot.
It should be a real battle. And if Thomas’ career is any guide, he will keep finding a way to hang on.
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