The Rams have agreed to terms with defensive tackle Cam Thomas, his agent David Canter announced (Twitter link). The six-year NFL veteran has been on the free agent market since March when his two-year contract with the Steelers expired.
Signed to act as a cog in the middle of Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense, Thomas never became a key factor in the Steel City, starting only 10 games during his time with the club. After playing on more than 40% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps in 2014, Thomas struggled to get on the field in 2015, seeing action on less than 17% of plays. A 330-pound run stuffer is never going to generate much in the way of traditional stats, but Pro Football Focus wasn’t a fan of Thomas’ work last season, assigning him below-average grades against both the pass and the run.
Nevertheless, the 29-year-old Thomas, who spent the first four years of his career with the Chargers, can still find a role as an early-down player in today’s NFL. Thomas has 85 games of experience under his belt, and he didn’t go completely unnoticed on the open market, as he took a March visit with the Seahawks. Seattle ended up re-signing its own defensive tackle free agent, Ahtyba Rubin, and Thomas has languished in free agency since.
Thomas isn’t a lock for the Los Angeles roster, as the Rams will field Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers in their starting lineup, while fellow free agent signee Dominique Easley is probably safe thanks to his youth and upside. Thomas, then, will have to compete with Ethan Brooks and Louis Trinca-Pasat in order to secure a spot on the Ram’s final 53.
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