It’s been quite the summer for Washington Commanders tight end Armani Rogers. The former college quarterback was signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2022 NFL draft and immediately impressed Washington’s coaches in the offseason program.
With starting tight end Logan Thomas still recovering from a torn ACL at the beginning of training camp, there was an opportunity for Rogers. When No. 2 tight end John Bates missed most of camp with a calf injury and rookie fifth-round pick Cole Turner went down with a hamstring injury, and suddenly Rogers was atop Washington’s preseason depth chart at tight end.
Rogers took advantage of his playing time, becoming a frequent target of starting quarterback Carson Wentz.
It was enough to earn Rogers a spot on Washington’s 53-man roster. Truth be told, the Commanders knew Rogers was making the roster before they played their first preseason game.
Earlier this week, Washington senior director of player personnel Eric Stokes discussed Rogers, saying he and Marty Hurney have been watching Rogers for three years, back when he was a quarterback at UNLV, resembling Cam Newton.
Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew is the latest to praise Rogers.
“To get value like that as an undrafted free agent for this guy to come in as a former quarterback that just move to tight end, and to play the way that he played during training camp was really impressive to see,” Mayhew said.
“I can’t say enough about this kid because we had some injuries in the tight end group. He had some injuries as well, but he was able to get out there every single day and go and compete every single day. So he’s got a lot of mental toughness too. I’m really excited about what the future holds for him.”
It appears Thomas and Bates are on track to play in Week 1. We will learn more about Thomas and Turner next week. But don’t be surprised if Washington has a plan for Rogers, even if the others are healthy.