With some extra depth at linebacker, the Cardinals are moving on from a former third-round pick. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Cardinals have traded linebacker Cameron Thomas to the Chiefs for a seventh-round selection.
While the Cardinals have tried to get creative with their usage of Thomas, he seemed destined to be buried on the edge depth chart in 2024. Zaven Collins and Dennis Gardeck are still expected to lead the positional grouping, and the team is also still rostering former sixth-round pick Victor Dimukeje, who outsnapped Thomas in 2023.
While fellow edge rusher BJ Ojulari will miss the entire 2024 campaign, Thomas was still facing an uphill battle toward playing time. The team added rookie Xavier Thomas in the fifth round, and the team is still hanging on to former bottom-of-the-depth-chart options like Jesse Luketa and Tyreke Smith. More moves are surely coming at outside linebacker, but today’s trade should provide some temporary relief in Arizona’s position room.
The Chiefs will be taking a chance on a player whose San Diego State performance made him a third-round pick in 2022. After finishing with three sacks as a rookie, the Cardinals were clearly counting on more from Thomas in 2023, with the OLB starting three of his 15 appearances. However, Thomas was shutout in the sacks category, and he finished with only 22 tackles while getting into about one third of his team’s defensive snaps.
The Chiefs will return a similar edge grouping in 2024, with George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, and 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah leading the way. Charles Omenihu and BJ Thompson are currently on PUP and NFI, respectively, so there could be a chance for Thomas to soak up some snaps in the interim.
Keim’s regime spent two third round picks of edge players in 2022, Thomas and Myjai Sanders. Neither is making it to a third year with Arizona, and combined they returned a seventh round pick. Yikes.
Arizona has been a bit of hot garbage with personel lately. I’ll be the first to give them accolades from a decade run with pretty smooth and sound management from afar. The last ten 6-8 years have been hard to watch. Didn’t stop them from beating the Niners once in a while. But that was their superbowl lately. The regular season rivalry games. A healthy Murray is a great start. But I look at the roster and gonna have to be educated on what guys can bring. Don’t see too many. But know that I learn a lot and anyone who thinks preseason is a tell all is lying to you
It’s crazy to me just how many linebackers Keim drafted and then tried to use outside of their natural positions or in different roles than they made their names on in college. Reddick, Simmons, Collins, Minter, Sanders…luckily for Reddick, injuries along the edge finally pushed him into a rush spot, and he took it and ran. Some of the others weren’t-or haven’t been-so lucky.
Not sure the logic. Seems like defense players should be asked to use their instincts. Harder to unlearn D