The Facts: Thomas tore his ACL on Dec. 5 and ESPN.com's John Keim reminds readers there's no guarantee he'll be ready for the start of the season. If he's back in September and good to go Thomas is a valuable part of the offense.

Diehards Line: Thomas has been one of Washington's best free-agent signings in a while, a low-level pickup in 2020 who blossomed into a solid starter. In two seasons -- he missed 10 games this year because of injuries -- he's caught 90 passes, nine for touchdowns. In the past two seasons he's been one of the most productive tight ends in the red zone, a function of his size (6-6, 250 pounds) and route running. He's third among tight ends in red zone receiving yards the past two years combined, despite playing at least 10 fewer games than those ahead of him. And he's a friendly target for Washington quarterbacks, who completed 68 percent of their throws to him. Only Dwayne Haskins was under 70 percent. So we'll obviously be watching his recovery closely in coming weeks. Stay tuned for more.