Ian Thomas’ production among NFL’s elite post-Greg Olsen. Why Panthers need it to be
Pretend you’re talking to a football fan who just awoke from a four-month-long coma today.
They ask about the Carolina Panthers. You tell them the Panthers’ primary tight end has the third-most targets, second-most catches, fifth-most receiving yards and second-highest catch percentage over their past two games.
“I guess Greg Olsen came back strong from that broken foot,” they say as a weak, but relieved smile slowly etches its way across their face.
Boy, are they in for a surprise.
Since taking over for the injured Olsen in Week 13, Panthers rookie tight end Ian Thomas has caught 14-of-16 targets for 123 yards — accounting for 56 percent of his total catches and 59 percent of his total receiving yards this season. That’s more catches than the 49ers’ George Kittle, on more targets than the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski, for more yards than the Eagles’ Zach Ertz over that span.
The Indiana product almost immediately slid in as the team’s starting tight end in his second career game, but he didn’t make much of a statistical impact during his three starts. Working behind Olsen from Week 6 through Week 12 gave him an opportunity to look himself in the mirror after a humbling start to the season.
“A bunch of things, route-wise and player-wise,” Thomas said Thursday. “How to study, stuff like that.
“I guess I needed it a lot. It kind of helped me get used to it — the speed, really. The game slowed down, obviously, so that helped, too.”
Considering his career-high nine catches and 77 yards against the Browns last week, it appears his study habits paid off — as did those first three starts he made in Weeks 2 through 5. It even showed after Olsen left Week 13’s game against Tampa Bay, when Thomas finished with five catches for 46 yards.
“I think he was very prepared (against Cleveland),” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “I think a big part is just the fact that he started the first few games until Greg got back. He got a lot of on-field experience, and he got a chance to step back and look and evaluate. I think that’s really helped him grow in terms of understanding what the offense is all about.
“You watch his route-running his first few games compared to the way he ran the routes against Cleveland — and the way he practices ... you get a chance to really spotlight and see the things that he’s done. You see the growth that he’s made already. It’s pretty exciting, what his potential could be.”
Rivera pointed to one play, in particular, from Sunday’s game that represented Thomas’ growth over the course of the season.
After a 7-yard Thomas catch ended a yard short of the first down, the Panthers called his number again on fourth-and-1. Thomas blocked the pass-rushing Browns linebacker Tanner Vallejo before releasing out to the flat, eventually extending high for a 9-yard reception and first down.
Thomas drew a taunting penalty after the play, but Rivera said the route he ran was a sign he was maturing from an X’s and O’s standpoint.
“You could see him get up field quickly and he presented a good target to the quarterback when he turned,” Rivera said. “A lot of it is the confidence a quarterback has when he sees a guy present a target that says, ‘Throw it near me, and I’ll catch it.’
“I think that’s where he’s getting to, as far as those things are concerned.”
Quarterback Cam Newton looked confident throwing to Thomas, targeting him a team-high 11 times — just the second time this season a tight end led the team in targets.
Leaning on Thomas as he made a living within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, Newton made it clear Rivera isn’t the only one excited about the fourth-round pick’s future.
“It’s comfort for him,” Newton said of Thomas. “Oftentimes as a young player — still (even) as an old player — you can probably overthink things and he’s at that point where he knows the system well enough to kind of put his flair on it.
“Having a game like he had this past game is just one step leading toward how good he can possibly be.”
Marcel Louis-Jacques: 704-358-5015, @Marcel_LJ
Marcel Louis-Jacques, 704-358-5015: @Marcel_LJ
This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 5:58 PM.
