Washington Commanders tight end Armani Rogers was one of the feel-good stories of the summer. The undrafted former college quarterback transitioned to tight end at East-West Shrine Bowl and put himself on the radar of NFL teams.
The Commanders knew about Rogers back when he was a freshman quarterback at UNLV, something offensive coordinator Scott Turner recently indicated. Turner, too, played quarterback at UNLV. Former Panthers GM and current Washington executive Marty Hurney has also been following Rogers for years, according to senior director of player personnel Eric Stokes.
Rogers took advantage of Washington’s injuries at tight end and received most of the practice reps at tight end in training camp and started in the preseason games.
In Week 1, Rogers was active for his first NFL game. While he only played four snaps, he quickly made an impact, taking a tight end screen and going for 23 yards across midfield. The Commanders would later score on the drive.
Watch Chase Roullier (73) … pic.twitter.com/Ztf6oJz4ju
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) September 14, 2022
In case you haven’t noticed, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Rogers is fast. Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network pointed out that Rogers was clocked at 19.9 miles per hour on his lone reception. The players ahead of Rogers were tight ends and running backs.
Fastest ball-carriers today (MPH).
Washington TE Armani Rogers (6’5” 225) can fly. pic.twitter.com/jxkXcnTYzQ
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) September 11, 2022
Washington is thrilled to have starter Logan Thomas back and John Bates healthy. Fellow rookie, Cole Turner, could also return this week, giving the Commanders a potentially dynamic group of tight ends.
You can bet Scott Turner is going to be looking at more ways to get the football in Rogers’ hands moving forward.
