Position: Tight end
Height: 6'5" Weight: 261 lbs
College: UCLA
Drafted: Undrafted (2010)
Logan Paulsen has been a backup tight end for the Washington Redskins since the 2010 season, but it feels like he's been wearing the Burgundy and Gold forever. He typically starts the season as a second or third-stringer, yet thanks to injuries and/or suspensions, it seems he ends up in the starting role at some point every year. This year figures to be no different.
#1. Paulsen has played five seasons for Washington, including all 16 games in each of the last four. He excelled as a blocker early on, which earned him his spot on the roster in the first place, but he has since developed as a receiver and now boasts a respectable offensive repertoire.
#2. He has 79 catches through 75 games for 801 yards and six touchdowns as a member of the Redskins. His best seasons were 2012 and 2013, when he caught a combined 53 passes for 575 yards and four touchdowns. With his increased workload in the passing game has also come a struggle with ball security, however. He was not credited with a single fumble throughout his first three seasons, but he fumbled twice in 2013 and once again in 2014; he lost all three of those fumbles.
#3. Paulsen attributes his improvement as a receiver to former Redskins tight ends Chris Cooley and Fred Davis, who were both known far more for their playmaking abilities than their blocking skills.
"A big thing that helped me develop as a pass receiver was obviously talking to Chris, talking to Fred," Paulsen said in a 2011 Washington Times article. "Especially with Chris, just seeing the coverages and kind of knowing people's leverages, knowing who to run the route off of has been really crucial in terms of helping me develop that."
#4. He will likely start the season as the third-string tight end behind Niles Paul and Jordan Reed. Reed has played in just 20 of 32 games since the Redskins used a third-round pick on him in 2013, but he has shown the ability to be a difference-maker when healthy. Paul, a converted wide receiver, is an above-average blocker and is coming off a career year in which he caught 39 passes for 507 yards, but he had just 14 catches in his previous three seasons.
Still, Paulsen is used to opening the season on the bench. By all accounts, he is a hard worker and a very intelligent player, and he seems to always get his chances. He very much fits the "jack of all trades, master of none" mold, and that's a good mold for a backup tight end to fit.
#5. Paulsen was not spectacular at UCLA, catching just 71 passes for 888 yards over a five-year career, but he played his part well. He contributed three catches for 31 yards in the Bruins' 30-21 win over Temple in the 2009 EagleBank Bowl, which was played at DC's own RFK Stadium. Among Paulsen's teammates in that game were future Redskins Terrence Austin and Kai Forbath.
Bottom Line: The ideal role player, Logan Paulsen does his job and stays out of trouble. He is happy being used as a blocker, where he typically excels, but he can come out and make plays if Paul or Reed are unavailable. His special teams value is also worth mentioning, as he has been one of the few constants on a very shaky unit the past few years. Also, his beard game borders on elite, and every team needs a good beard or two. With much of the roster in flux, Paulsen will continue doing his thing this year.