Logan Thomas was a three-year starter at quarterback for Virginia Tech.

He threw for 9,003 yards with 52 TDs and 39 interceptions and won an ACC championship with the Hokies.

Thomas was a fourth-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2014, but has made the switch to tight end.

Logan Thomas was standing on the sideline less than two minutes into Virginia Tech’s game against Wake Forest on the afternoon of Oct. 16, 2010, performing his typical game-day task that season, when a bell went off in his head.

His job as a redshirt freshman backup quarterback was to signal in the plays to the starting quarterback, a senior named Tyrod Taylor, and when the call came through the headset, Thomas had an “Oh my God!” moment.

The Hokies were down at the Wake Forest 2-yard-line, and because Thomas was 6-foot-6 and had off-the-charts athleticism, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer had a package of red-zone plays in which Thomas could be utilized as a wide receiver. This was one of those plays.

“I had to run and get my helmet and run on the field real quick,” Thomas said with a remembering smile the other day following a Bills training camp practice at St. John Fisher College.

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Taylor instantly recalled the play because he threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Thomas to get Virginia Tech started on its way to a 52-21 victory over the Demon Deacons.

“He was calling the play and realized it was coming to him so he ran onto the field, didn’t even go to the huddle,” said Taylor, who threw for 292 yards and three TDs that day before giving way to Thomas who mopped up and completed 3 of 8 passes for 22 yards, the most extensive playing time he saw that season.

Fast-forward seven years, and Thomas would love to reprise his role as a red-zone target of Taylor’s this season as he tries to win a roster spot with Buffalo as a tight end.

It’s a gargantuan task trying to make a switch like that at the NFL level, but with 250 pounds of muscle spread evenly over his tall frame, in addition to his good hands and decent speed, the Bills might be looking at a player who fits into the mold of the new-age tight end, a la Antonio Gates, Travis Kelce and, dare we say, Rob Gronkowski.

It’s far too early to predict what might happen, but that’s exactly the type of tight end the Bills have never had, someone who could be a legitimate down-the-seam threat with catch-and-run ability. Charles Clay has a similar skillset, but he hasn’t wowed anyone his first two years with the Bills.

“Every day is getting better, every day I’m gaining confidence and it all comes down to technique and footwork and fundamentals,” said Thomas. “That’s the thing we’re working on before and after practice and in the meeting rooms.”

Thomas inherited Taylor’s quarterback job in 2011, started the next three years and led the Hokies to an ACC championship and three bowl appearances including one against Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. In 47 career games he completed 55.5 percent of his passes for 9,003 yards with 52 TDs and 39 interceptions.

The Arizona Cardinals picked him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, and he saw action in two games. One of those came against Denver, where he threw the only pass completion of his career, an 81-yard touchdown pass to Andre Ellington. He became the first NFL quarterback to have his first career completion go for at least 80 yards since Neil O’Donnell's 89-yard pass for the Steelers against the Chargers on Sept. 1, 1991.

Thomas thought he’d have a chance to make it as at least a backup quarterback in the NFL, but the Cardinals cut him prior to the start of 2015, and he bounced around to the practice squads of the Dolphins and Giants without success. Finally, last November, the Lions told him they would sign him, but only as a tight end.

“I always knew I’d have a fail-safe when it came to that and I was blessed to have an opportunity, hopefully, by switching positions,” he said. “I had a workout for quarterback in Detroit, but they also wanted me to run some routes, so they signed me to the practice squad, and 36 hours I got picked up here.”

He was inactive for every game through the end of 2016, but new coach Sean McDermott — knowing how important it is to have an athletic tight end after spending six years in Carolina with Greg Olsen — brought Thomas back this season to give him a full-fledged shot.

“He’s certainly a big body that’s got a lot of athleticism to him and some of this will be new to him,” said McDermott. “It’ll be the first time he lines up across from someone at the tight end position so that’s a part of the evaluation and you look at it and you take it one practice at a time. I’m excited to see him, I’m excited to see his development, and we’ll move forward from there.”

New offensive coordinator Rick Dennison may have been the first to foresee what Thomas’ future would be. When Thomas — who at 26 years old is married and already has four young children — entered the 2014 draft, Dennison was the quarterbacks coach for the Ravens and Thomas came up to his table for an interview at the scouting combine. He took one look at the physical specimen and said, “The tight ends coach is right around the corner.”

“You see him on film, you see he has good size but in person he’s a big man, and obviously he’s athletic,” said Dennison. “It’s an interesting prospect, and he’s working really hard at it. He’s worked to make the adjustment so we’re going to give him some opportunities and see what happens.”

Thomas can run, he can catch, but if he hopes to make the final roster, he’s going to have to learn how to block because the Bills’ tight ends have to be adept in the run game.

“It’s kind of a wave of information,” he said. “As a quarterback, you don’t fully know all the line calls, so that was kind of new, and that’s the stuff you have to keep learning and building on. As a tight end, the run game stuff is fairly new.”

How Thomas adapts to those responsibilities will likely determine his fate.

“You can see the receiving stuff in shorts, but the point of attack blocking when we get pads on, we have to see that,” said general manager Brandon Beane. “I think it’s smart of Logan to accept this role and see what he can do with it. It’s not an easy transition, this is the NFL where he’s trying to make a position switch, but I’m sure he’s excited and I’m excited to see what he can do.”

MAIORANA@Gannett.com

Tailgate with Sal

Get the inside scoop on training camp with Democrat and Chronicle reporter Sal Maiorana at our exclusive Bills Camp Tailgate Party.

When:11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6 (rain or shine).

Where: Back Nine Grill, 3500 East Ave., Pittsford.

Cost: $20. Includes ticket to camp, food and beverage, parking.

Tickets: Limited. Order atTickets.DemocratandChronicle.com.