After 12 weeks and 10 games with Washington, Sammis Reyes still is looking for his first reception in the NFL and at the moment he is third in the depth chart of the team in the position of tight end, behind Ricky Seals-Jones and John Bates. Seals-Jones, however, he suffered a hip injury and missed last Sunday’s game at Carolina.
Reyes started the game against the Panthers (his first NFL starter game), but it was Bates who finished with three receptions and 23 yards. He also saw action last night before Seattle Seahawks and participated in 20 snaps. The team won 17-15.
Logan Thomas, the WFT’s starting tight end, has been on injured reserve since October 6 with a hamstring problem, but he rejoined practice last week and will be back in the starting position soon. That means Reyes will once again be relegated to the depth chart and that patience must be his greatest virtue.
Panorama 2022
Thomas signed a three-year, $ 24 million contract extension linking him to the Washington Football Team through the 2024 season. Bates also has a contract through 2024, but Seals-Jones will be a free agent starting in March, and that’s good news for Kings. The Chilean, a product of the NFL’s International Development Program, has yet to learn the fine points of the position.
You have to remember that Sammis was a star in Tulane, but not in football, but in basketball. Until before the game in Carolina, Washington had used him exclusively on special teams, a sign that he is not yet ready to start. Reyes must be patient and do everything the team asks of him. If at the moment it is with the special teams, it is because the coaches believe that the Chilean has to polish his technique. Against the Panthers he was used primarily on rushing plays where his assignment was to block a linebacker or defensive end, which is important for a full tight end.
Eventually the passes and catches will come, especially if Thomas and Seals-Jones don’t bounce back soon. In 2022 his outlook in Washington will be clearer and with less competition in the position. Meanwhile, Sammis Reyes is on a mission to polish his technique to gain more time on the field and new opportunities as a starter.
