Arizona Cardinals’ Logan Thomas feels good heading into wide open QB competition

TEMPE, Ariz. — When the Arizona Cardinals drafted Logan Thomas in the fourth round out of Virginia Tech in 2014, they viewed him as a developmental project.

Thomas has great size and athleticism along with a cannon for an arm, but needed to refine his accuracy as well as ability to read a defense and lead an offense.

He appeared in two games as a rookie, completing one of nine pass attempts, though it did go for an 81-yard touchdown in a Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Any other season, Thomas not seeing much action would have been a non-story. He wasn’t expected to play, as the goal was for him to sit on the bench and learn.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals’ QB situation became rather muddied, as both Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton ended up being lost to injuries. Instead of turning to Thomas, though, head coach Bruce Arians went with Ryan Lindley, who was cut by the team during training camp and then added off of the San Diego Chargers’ practice squad in November after Palmer went down.

Arians flirted with the idea of starting Thomas for the regular season finale, before ultimately deciding to go with Lindley. The former sixth-round pick would go on to start Arizona’s playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers, remaining largely ineffective.

Palmer and Stanton are back now, and though Lindley is gone, Arians wasn’t ready to declare Thomas the third-string quarterback Tuesday when OTAs began.

“Wide open, as wide open as it can be,” he described the competition, which includes Thomas, Chandler Harnish and undrafted rookie free agent Phillip Sims.

Thomas, though, is still the favorite for the job. It would not necessarily be prudent to give up on him just yet, unless of course Simms or Harnish are really impressive over the next few months before the season begins.

Back on the field for his second season with the team, Thomas said he thinks he’s grown considerably over the last year.

“Still a lot of things to improve on, but I feel a lot better, better understanding from especially at this time last year,” he said. “So I feel good.”

It should really come as no surprise that Thomas — or any player, for that matter — feels much better heading into year two than year one. Though he didn’t play much, the quarterback practiced with the team all season and was able to immerse himself into the playbook while at the same time receiving NFL-level coaching.

He admits he would have absolutely liked to play more last season, but backs Arians’ decisions and said the coach made “a good call.”

Back in March, Arians said the key for Thomas was “strictly reps,” adding he had improved tremendously over his time with the team.

Thomas said knowledge is his biggest improvement this season, adding he knows where to go with the ball without having to think of hot reads and sights all at once at the snap.

But has Thomas improved enough to where the team will feel comfortable with him as the third-stringer, especially in light of how the quarterback depth chart was tested last season?

Some might view the additions of Harnish and Sims as a sign the team is unsure about the second-year pro, though he sees the added competition as a good thing.

“I think it does, I think it does,” he said when asked if it helps to push him. “From Chandler to Phil and the two guys above me, Drew and Carson, it makes you work harder, makes you stay focused on what you have to do and how good you have to be.”