Another day, another free agency signing for the Las Vegas Raiders. On Monday, Sin City’s general manager John Spytek agreed to terms with defensive tackle Leki Fotu. The next day, on Tuesday, Pete Carroll’s club welcomed tight end Ian Thomas to the team.
Thomas, a fourth-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, has spent each of his seven seasons at the pro level with the Carolina Panthers. He’s accumulated 1,062 yards and four touchdowns in total since being drafted.
If those numbers sound unimpressive, that’s because they are. But that’s of no worry; being a receiving threat isn’t Thomas’ game.
Instead, the 260-pound tight end makes his money as a blocker.
And he’s quite excellent in that area. There’s a reason why Thomas started in 45 games over the past 67 he’s been a part of. The Indiana alum even started all 17 games during his ’22 campaign with Carolina.
At least 55% of Thomas’ snaps each season since 2021 have been plays where he’s been assigned a blocking role. In 2024, that percentage was at 71.6% prior to the now-former Panthers tight end hitting the injured reserves list.
For perspective, while 71.6% of Thomas’ snaps in 2024 were in a blocking role, tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders both served as blockers less than 47% of the time.
During each of the last three seasons, no tight end on Carolina’s roster has been tasked with blocking more than Thomas has. That’s how much the Panthers have valued his blocking ability.
Now with the Raiders, the immediate expectation is he’ll be used that same way. It is what he’s best at, after all. Not much different than Lee Smith, who suited up for the Silver and Black from 2015-2018.
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