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Cam Thomas (DL)

Chiefs Sign Cam Thomas

November 13th, 2017 at 2:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs moved quickly to replace Roy Miller. The team has signed fellow defensive tackle Cam Thomas, Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Cam Thomas (Vertical)

Thomas offers familiarity with the Chiefs’ 3-4 scheme after spending training camp with the team. He missed out on the chance to serve as Bennie Logan‘s top backup, but he’s back in that spot following Miller’s arrest for domestic battery.

Thomas, 30, has bounced around the league since being selected in the fifth round of the 2010 draft by the Chargers. The North Carolina product has served mostly as a reserve nose tackle and started only 27 games in seven NFL seasons. In 2016, he appeared in 16 games (two starts) for the Rams, compiling 15 tackles and one sack.

Thomas could see his first real action with KC on Sunday when the Chiefs take on the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

NFL Workout Updates: 10/31/17

October 31st, 2017 at 8:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

NFL Workout Updates: 9/19/17

September 19th, 2017 at 9:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chiefs Release DL Cam Thomas

September 2nd, 2017 at 11:25am CST by Ben Levine

Despite signing with the Chiefs this offseason, it looks like veteran Cam Thomas won’t even make it to the regular season. According to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter), the team has released the nose tackle.

Cam Thomas (Vertical)The 30-year-old has bounced around the league since being selected in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. The North Carolina product has served mostly as a reserve nose tackle during his career, as he’s started only 27 games in seven NFL seasons. Last year, he appeared in 16 games (two starts) with the Rams, compiling 15 tackles and one sack. Thomas has also spent time with the Chargers and Steelers.

Bennie Logan figures to be the Chiefs starting nose tackle, but Thomas was expected to serve as a capable backup. However, the team’s signing of Roy Miller back in August presumably hurt the veteran’s chances. The team is also rostering Rakeem Nunez-Roches, making Thomas expendable.

Chiefs Sign DT Cam Thomas

June 8th, 2017 at 2:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have signed defensive tackle Cam Thomas, according to his agent (on Twitter). Thomas previously spent time with the Rams, Chargers, and Steelers. "<strong

Thomas began his career with the Chargers and enjoyed his best season in 2013 as he appeared in every regular season games and made ten starts. After that, he parlayed his success into a free agent deal with the Steelers, but things did not go according to plan. Last year, he appeared in every regular season game for the Rams and made two starts with 15 tackles and one sack.

The 30-year-old Thomas isn’t a superstar, but he could be a worthwhile early-down player for Kansas City. Thomas will try to hook on as a reserve nose tackle in the Chiefs’ 3-4 scheme. Free agent Bennie Logan is projected to start in the middle with T.J. Barnes among the reserves.

Rams To Re-Sign DT Cam Thomas

September 6th, 2016 at 6:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Just days after being released, veteran defensive tackle Cam Thomas has re-signed with the Rams, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Los Angeles has waived guard David Arkin in a corresponding roster move, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).Cam Thomas (Vertical)

Signed in 2014 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 languished in free agency until signing with Los Angeles in June.

Arkin, 29 next month, has spent time with the Cowboys, Colts, and Dolphins, but didn’t appear in the NFL last season. He signed a futures deal with the Rams in January.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Cut Akeem Ayers, Move To 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 4:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams have announced the following moves as part of moving their roster to 53 players:

Cut:

Placed On IR:

Ayers is perhaps the most surprising release, given that the 2015 free agent signee started 11 games for the club last season. Los Angeles will clear all $3.3MM of his cap charge by parting ways.

Rams To Sign Cam Thomas

June 6th, 2016 at 5:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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.Cam Thomas (Vertical)

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.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Visits: Ayers, C. Long, Whitehead

March 10th, 2016 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

With most top available pass rushers having flown off the board early on in the free agent period, defensive end Robert Ayers is in position to cash in with a team that missed out on that first wave of edge rushers. Ayers has a visit lined up with the Buccaneers, but that’s not the only meeting on his schedule.

Accordingn to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Ayers plans to remain in Florida following his visit with the Bucs, heading to Miami for a visit with the Dolphins. Miami has already signed one veteran defensive end in Mario Williams this week, but the team has also lost Olivier Vernon and Derrick Shelby, who each saw significant playing time in 2015. So the club could use another end to add to a group that already features Williams and Cameron Wake.

As we wait to see if Ayers ends up landing with a team in the Sunshine State, let’s round up the latest news on a few more free agent visits…

  • Defensive end Chris Long, who has already paid a visit to Washington, will visit with the Falcons today, according to ESPN’s Trey Wingo (Twitter link). Wingo’s colleague, Adam Schefter, reported on Wednesday that Long would be meeting with the Cowboys this week, but it appears that visit is either on hold or is not happening.
  • The Buccaneers are hosting linebacker Tahir Whitehead on a visit today, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. If Tampa Bay were to get something done with Whitehead, he would be a nice addition to a linebacking corps that features Lavonte David.
  • Free agent offensive tackle Andre Smith is expected to visit the Vikings next week, a source tells Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Wolfson cautions that the situation is fluid, but says Smith is definitely on Minnesota’s radar. The Vikes have already fortified their offensive line by striking a deal with Alex Boone, but they continue to look for upgrades.
  • The Seahawks are hosting defensive tackle Cam Thomas for a visit today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who notes that Seattle may view the former Steeler as an affordable replacement for Brandon Mebane, who agreed to sign with San Diego.

AFC North Notes: Steelers, Dalton, Ravens, Pryor

July 18th, 2015 at 9:04pm CST by Rob DiRe

As training camps are inching closer and closer, Mark Kaboly of TribLive.com takes a quick look at the key additions, key losses, and training camp goals of each AFC North team. The Steelers, Bengals, and Ravens all have top goals on the defensive side of the ball, while the Browns predictably are focused on finding a quarterback between Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel.

Here are some deeper looks into each of the AFC North teams:

  • Kaboly’s colleague Chris Adamski takes an extended look into the Steelers’ roster, trying to figure out what the final roster will be. He separates the players into locks, on the bubble, and on the outside, while giving some thoughts on what the team will do. The big names on the bubble include Darrius Heyward-Bey and Cam Thomas.
  • Four consecutive playoff berths and an 0-4 record in the playoffs has left Bengals’ fans with a polarizing opinion of Andy Dalton. When it comes to whether he has what it takes, Cincinnati.com writers are split, with Paul Dehner Jr. skeptical and Jim Owczarski remaining optimistic he can still develop into a top-10 quarterback.
  • The Ravens made the playoffs based on the strength of their running game and run defense, and John Eisenberg of BaltimoreRavens.com believes that strength in those areas will be the key to whether they can reach the playoffs again this year. Losing running-game guru Gary Kubiak from the coaching staff and perennial Pro-Bowler Haloti Ngata from the defense will make it difficult, but the team is committed to the running game on both sides of the ball.
  • The Browns have reclamation project at wide receiver, in converted quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Other than a few special packages early in his college career, it has been infrequent to see him line up on the outside of the formation. Pryor has been working with Antonio Brown, Randy Moss, and Josh Gordon while preparing for training camp, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. She also pulls some of his training videos from Instagram and Twitter showing his offseason progress.
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