Despite not playing a snap this season, the San Francisco 49ers cut former third-round pick cornerback Ambry Thomas. Selected out of Michigan, the 6′-0″, 195-pound defensive back never found his footing with the five-time Super Bowl-winning franchise. Appearing in 42 games while making just 11 starts, Thomas finished his 49ers campaign with a relatively pedestrian two interceptions and 12 passes defended, but this won’t be the end of the road for the veteran. Even though he spent the season on the injured reserved, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports teams will pursue Thomas.
49ers have waived cornerback Ambry Thomas off the injured reserve list. Thomas is now healthy and, as a former third-round pick out of Michigan, is expected to garner interest.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2024
Ambry Thomas will be subject to waivers following his cut, which means if multiple teams want him, the one with the worst record will land him. While a contender like the Kansas City Chiefs or Detroit Lions could use a cornerback for the stretch run, a rebuilding organization like the Carolina Panthers could bring in Thomas to try and find a diamond in the rough.
3 Teams Could Claim Ambry Thomas After Surprising Cut
When healthy, the Detroit Lions probably have the best roster in football. Unfortunately, the team is not healthy. Following a Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills where they lost four key contributors to injury, the team is currently held together by nothing more than duct tape and a dream. This offense will remain dangerous as long as Jared Goff is quarterback and Ben Johnson is offensive coordinator, but the defense must hold up their end of the bargain.
With Khalil Dorsey and Carlton Davis both down for the foreseeable future, someone must step up in this secondary. Ambry Thomas never played up to his potential with the San Francisco 49ers, but perhaps the cut candidate can revive his career with the Detroit Lions. Dan Campbell knows how to get the best out of his players, and Thomas has the raw physical gifts to succeed in the NFL. Playing in a tough NFC, Detroit needs all the help they can get to finally hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Other Fits
Despite their 13-1 record, the Kansas City Chiefs are as vulnerable as they’ve ever been since Patrick Mahomes took over. The defense had a strong start to the season but fell apart shortly after Jaylen Watson’s season-ending injury. Despite signing free agent Steven Nelson, the team needs another cornerback following the Chamarri Conner concussion. With Mahomes injured and unlikely to be at full strength, Kansas City must find some way to improve their defense for their impending postseason run.
The Carolina Panthers are eliminated from playoff contention, but that shouldn’t stop them from putting in a claim for Ambry Thomas. First-year head coach Dave Canales and General Manager Dan Morgan spent the offseason building the offense while largely ignoring the defense. This made sense, as Carolina had too many holes to fill in one offseason and needed to see what they had in Bryce Young. Now that the foundation for the offense is in place, it’s time to rebuild the defense, and Ambry Thomas could be a part of that picture. While he will be a free agent at the end of the season, the Panthers can use the next few weeks as a glorified audition period ahead of the 2025 league year.
Main Photo: Kelley L. Cox – USA Today Sports
