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Ambry Thomas

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/24

December 20th, 2024 at 7:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor NFL transactions and some standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s games:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Thomas will hit the waiver wire once again after getting claimed off waivers by Indianapolis and failing his physical. He was first waived off of the 49ers’ injured reserve with an injury settlement, so it’s not a surprise that injury prevented him from passing his physical, but a 28th-ranked Colts pass defense was looking forward to adding an additional defensive back.

CB Ambry Thomas Fails Colts Physical

December 19th, 2024 at 12:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ambry Thomas was waived with an injury settlement on Tuesday, marking an end to his 49ers tenure. The veteran corner appeared to have his next NFL opportunity lined up in short order, but that is now on hold.

The Colts claimed Thomas off waivers, setting him up to finish the campaign in Indianapolis. He failed his physical upon joining his new team, though, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. The news comes as a surprise given the fact Thomas was cleared by San Francisco’s staff over one month ago, according to Schefter. Thomas has yet to play this season after dealing with a forearm injury.

“Ambry feels good and is ready to play,” agent Drew Rosenhaus said of the situation (via Schefter). “My prediction is he will pass his next physical.”

It will be interesting to see if Thomas gets another look in short order or if he passes through waivers in the wake of this development. If that takes place, the 25-year-old will become a free agent with the option of joining any interested party to close out the season. Thomas made 42 appearances (including 11 starts) during his three seasons with the 49ers, with his largest workload coming last year. If a team does put in a new claim for the Michigan product, they will be on the hook for the prorated remainder of his $1.19MM salary; Thomas’ rookie contract is set to expire this year.

The Colts rank 28th against the pass this season, so it comes as no surprise the team showed interest in a late-season addition at the cornerback spot. Indianapolis is 6-8, meaning a three-game winning streak (along with help from outside results) will be needed for a wild-card berth to be possible. Thomas will not play a part in the team’s efforts to reach the playoffs, however.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/24

December 18th, 2024 at 7:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor NFL moves across the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mills, the former Eagles’ and Patriots’ starter had taken on a bigger role in New York as usual starter Tony Adams took fewer snaps due to a hamstring injury. He’ll miss the remainder of the season due to a broken collar bone.

Forsythe had taken over as the starting right tackle following an injury to George Fant in the season opener before ending up on injured reserve himself with a hand injury.

Watts’ 21-day practice window has come and gone without an activation. As a result, he’ll revert back to IR without the ability to be activated.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/24

December 17th, 2024 at 9:21pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest moves from the around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

After another round of injuries in Week 15, the Lions signed Pittman off the Jaguars’ practice squad to bolster their linebacker room. The five-year veteran appeared in just one game for Jacksonville this season, which coincidentally came against the Lions in Week 11. Pittman has primarily played special teams in his NFL career and will continue that role in Detroit.

The Raiders will be without Robinson for the rest of the season after he received a three-game suspension for violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

The 49ers placed Thomas on injured reserve after initial roster cuts, but never designated him to return. He is “now healthy and, as a former third-round pick out of Michigan, is expected to garner interest,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Thomas appeared in 42 games, including 11 starts, in San Francisco, but never developed into a consistent starting corner as the team hoped.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West

August 28th, 2024 at 9:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.

Arizona Cardinals

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Deommodore Lenoir On 49ers’ Extension Radar; Ambry Thomas In Uphill Battle For Roster Spot

August 11th, 2024 at 7:48am CST by Sam Robinson

AUGUST 11: Thomas’ battle to crack the Niners’ roster just got much tougher. The CB suffered a broken right forearm in yesterday’s preseason loss to the Titans, and HC Kyle Shanahan said after the game that the injury would sideline Thomas for “some time” (via Maiocco). Maiocco notes that the team will have to decide whether to place Thomas on injured reserve or waive him with an injury settlement. In either event, San Francisco will likely sign another corner to take Thomas’ place.

AUGUST 9: Although the Brandon Aiyuk situation is dominating NFL headlines, the two-time 1,000-yard receiver is far from the only 49ers starter in a contract year. A host of defenders are also attached to expiring deals.

Both San Francisco’s cornerback regulars are in this boat. The team is interested in keeping Charvarius Ward around beyond 2024, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the reigning NFC champions also look to have Deommodore Lenoir on the re-up radar.

With the 49ers valuing Lenoir’s versatility, it would not surprise Fowler to see the team explore an extension with the former fifth-round pick. Extending Lenoir will not be easy, as San Francisco’s equation features Aiyuk, Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw and Aaron Banks as multiyear starters in contract years. Several months out, the team is projected to be more than $38MM over the 2025 cap.

Lenoir operates as an outside starter who can shift into the slot. A few teams have used corners in this capacity to maximize their skills or cover for a positional deficiency. The 49ers check both boxes, as they were unable to lock in a third corner last season. Logan Ryan, who signed with the team in December, played the slot role to close out the season.

A Lenoir deal may well come down to how Ward talks go, and the former can certainly enhance his value with a quality contract year. It will be interesting, then, to see if San Francisco makes Lenoir an offer early to preempt a potential contract-year value spike. Business may also be on hold while the team navigates an increasingly complex Aiyuk situation, and a Brock Purdy extension will affect all 2025 plans as well.

Lenoir, 24, intercepted three passes last season and allowed a career-low 75.2 passer rating as the closest defender. The 49ers have used Lenoir as a full-time player in each of the past two seasons, after previous slot K’Waun Williams departed, giving the Oregon alum a 90% defensive snap share in 2023. Pro Football Focus ranked Lenoir 23rd among corners last season. Should the 5-foot-10 defender continue on this path, he stands to — due to his age and versatility — attract a nice market if he hits free agency.

Although the 49ers discussed Patrick Surtain and Nate Hobbs at the trade deadline, they stood pat at corner last year. Ambry Thomas moved into the team’s No. 3 CB issue in the weeks following the deadline, but the 49ers gave him all of one defensive snap in the Super Bowl. More competitors for the CB3 gig are in place now, and NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco notes Thomas is in an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster.

Concern about Thomas’ form prompted the Surtain inquiry, but the Broncos set a monster price on the star corner. The 49ers later added Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin in free agency and drafted Renardo Green in Round 2. Ya-Sin has extensive experience as a boundary corner, though he did not start regularly for the Ravens last year. Homegrown options Samuel Womack and Darrell Luter are also on the roster, making for a crowded competition as the Niners assemble a corner depth chart. Thomas would be exposed to waivers if cut by the August 27 deadline.

49ers Notes: Gipson, Purdy, Yiadom, Mond

April 10th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Safety became an issue for the 49ers last season, with Talanoa Hufanga suffering a season-ending injury on Thanksgiving. The team brought in Logan Ryan as an emergency pickup, and the versatile veteran ended up sliding into a key slot role down the stretch. Ryan has since retired, and another safety regular to close out San Francisco’s Super Bowl season is unsigned. Although Tashaun Gipson is going into an age-34 season, John Lynch said the team has engaged in talks about re-signing the veteran. Gipson has been a full-time starter in San Francisco over the past two seasons. However, the 49ers are looking at other experienced safeties.

“The safety market took a beating,” Lynch said, via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (subscription required). “It took years to get the guys to where they were being compensated. A bunch of them got cut, so a bunch of great players are out there. It’d be foolish of us to not take a look.”

With Hufanga on the way back, the 49ers have a host of options to consider outside of Gipson. The Broncos released four-time All-Pro Justin Simmons, while the Seahawks cut Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs. Eddie Jackson and Marcus Maye are also available due to roster cuts, and Micah Hyde remains unsigned as well. This many proven options available will cut into this group’s earning potential, but it represents good news for safety-needy teams. Though, the 49ers rostering 2023 third-rounder Ji’Ayir Brown may limit their interest in spending much for a veteran.

Here is the latest out of San Francisco:

  • Had the 49ers not ended the 2022 draft by selecting Brock Purdy, he would already be extension-eligible due to UDFAs only needing to play two years before being free to sign for veteran terms. The 49ers must keep the former seventh-round pick on his rookie deal through at least the 2024 season, but the Super Bowl starter did fare well via the NFL’s proven performance escalator system. Tied to an $870K base salary in 2023, Purdy nearly doubled his money via PPE earnings ($740K), ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Purdy, 24, is tied to a $985K base salary this season; 49ers owner Jed York is already discussing the prospect of a monster extension come 2025.
  • Recent signee Isaac Yiadom is set to compete for a regular job on the outside, Lynch said. Yiadom, a former Broncos third-rounder who enjoyed a quality season with the Saints after his career struggled to take off for years, will join Ambry Thomas, Darrell Luter and Samuel Womack in competing for the primary boundary job opposite Charvarius Ward. A member of that quartet impressing would allow the 49ers to move Deommodore Lenoir inside in sub-packages. Lenoir has played both outside and inside in his career; he closed last season on the outside, as Ryan patrolled the slot.
  • Former Vikings third-round pick Kellen Mond worked out for the 49ers on Wednesday, Barrows adds. The Texas A&M product has been with three teams in three years. After a Vikings cut led Mond to a third-string role with the Browns, his failure to make Cleveland’s 53-man roster last year keyed a move to the Colts’ practice squad. Mond did not see any action in 2023, and the Colts did not keep him on a reserve/futures deal. The 49ers lost Sam Darnold to the Vikings but re-signed Brandon Allen and added recent Vikings starter Joshua Dobbs. While teams regularly bring four QBs into offseason programs, Mond would not seem to have much upward mobility if he caught on with San Francisco.
  • A recent roster violation led the NFL to strip the 49ers of a 2025 fifth-round pick. Lynch said the penalty stemmed from (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco) the team overpaying an unspecified player by $75K during the pandemic period. Rather than contacting the NFL about this, the 49ers’ effort to recoup the money brought on the violation.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, CB Ambry Thomas Out For Week 18

January 2nd, 2024 at 10:31am CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have locked up the NFC’s top seed, making their regular season finale a game with no impact on the standings. That is a welcomed development given the team’s injury situation at a few key positions.

Running back Christian McCaffrey exited Sunday’s win with a calf injury, and it will lead to an absence to close out the campaign. The NFL’s rushing and scrimmage yards leader is dealing with a mild calf strain, per head coach Kyle Shanahan. To no surprise, therefore, McCaffrey will sit out the 49ers’ season finale against the Rams.

Since arriving via trade in San Francisco last year, the two-time Pro Bowler has been a vital component of the team’s vaunted skill-position group. McCaffrey has posted 2,205 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground in 27 games with the 49ers, keeping himself in the MVP conversation through the 2023 season. Any missed time in the postseason would be crippling to the team’s offense, but an extra week of recovery (coupled with the first round bye) should have him healthy in time for the divisional round.

The same is expected to be true of cornerback Ambry Thomas. The 2021 third-rounder is set to undergo hand surgery today, as noted by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The procedure will keep him sidelined for Week 18, which will leave San Francisco shorthanded in the secondary. Fortunately, however, Thomas is on track to suit up for the team’s first postseason contest.

The 24-year-old has only logged a 49% snap share on defense this season, but he has established himself as a key member of the 49ers’ backend. Thomas has seen a career-high workload in 2023, spending almost all of his time on the perimeter. He has posted 43 tackles, seven pass deflections and one interception while recording a new personal best in PFF grades along the way. Thomas’ performance did not stop the 49ers from exploring a CB addition at the trade deadline, but any missed postseason action would be acutely felt on defense.

San Francisco will be shorthanded both by necessity and by choice to close out the regular season, but the team will face substantial expectations once their playoff journey begins. The health of both McCaffrey and Thomas will be important factors in the 49ers’ postseason success, so their respective recoveries will be worth watching over the next several days.

49ers Pursued Trade For Broncos CB Patrick Surtain

December 1st, 2023 at 3:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Backing off their previously designated “open for business” status at the trade deadline, the Broncos did not end up moving anyone beyond stripping their roster of veteran defensive ends Randy Gregory and Frank Clark. The team nevertheless fielded extensive inquiries into its top players.

While Justin Simmons and Jerry Jeudy generated interest, the latter drawing an offer of third- and fifth-round picks, Denver stood down. Even as the team was believed to be nearing sell mode after a 1-5 start, it was never believed to be open to trading its top player. But clubs still contacted the Broncos to see what it would take for them to move Patrick Surtain. At least three made offers. The 49ers may have been one of them.

San Francisco pursued a few corners at the trade deadline, being one of the initial teams reported to have negotiated with the Bears on Jaylon Johnson. The 49ers also discussed Nate Hobbs with the Raiders, but the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch indicates the team pursued Surtain as well. The Oct. 31 deadline came with the 49ers mired in a three-game losing streak, as the team played multiple games without Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel. But pass defense issues loomed as well.

This particular target was never especially realistic, with a separate November report noting the Broncos set a two-first-rounder price to even begin a serious conversation about a Surtain trade. The Jaguars received that haul for Jalen Ramsey in 2019, with the All-Pro seeking a path out of Jacksonville. Surtain, meanwhile, solidified himself as a Broncos cornerstone last season by becoming a first-team All-Pro corner — the franchise’s first such achievement at the position since Chris Harris and Aqib Talib each earned that distinction in 2016. Surtain, 23, will be signed through 2025 once the Broncos pick up his fifth-year option by May.

The 49ers, who did not add a corner at the deadline, swung for the fences on Surtain because they were concerned about the performances of Ambry Thomas and Isaiah Oliver, Branch adds. But the team, which is now riding a three-game win streak, has seen post-deadline improvement from the former. A 2021 third-round pick, Thomas has been the 49ers’ No. 3 during their recent surge. He has checked in as a part of San Francisco’s nickel package, working as a boundary corner and kicking Deommodore Lenoir into the slot in that frequently used package.

Pro Football Focus now rates Thomas as the 49ers’ top corner this season, slotting him 11th after 11 games. Oliver, who signed to play the slot role this offseason, has seen his usage significantly minimized. The ex-Falcons second-rounder has played a combined six defensive snaps over the past three games.

Denver’s lone in-season trade came with San Francisco, which acquired Gregory in a late-round swap of 2024 picks. Gregory has played a rotational role for the 49ers, who made a bigger move by obtaining Chase Young less than hour before the deadline. That deal came after the Commanders reduced their asking price on the former No. 2 overall pick. Gregory has one sack and four QB hits since joining the 49ers, working exclusively as a backup.

NFC West Rumors: 49ers, Cardinals, Metcalf

July 2nd, 2022 at 7:37pm CST by Ely Allen

Not long ago, we wrote about the 49ers’ cornerback depth chart, claiming Charvarius Ward and Emmanuel Moseley were the starting outside corners this spring with Darqueze Dennard and rookie fifth-round pick Samuel Womack competing for the the starting nickel cornerback job, while second-year defender Ambry Thomas slots in as the No. 3 corner on the outside.

A slight alternative to the starting scenarios was proposed earlier this week by Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News. He agrees that Dennard and Womack seem to be going head-to-head for the nickel-back role, but posits that, should neither cornerback seize the starting opportunity, San Francisco could formulate a rotation that would see Moseley shift inside and Thomas come in to cover the outside.

If Dennard and Womack can’t convince the coaches that they’re more valuable to have on the field than Thomas, the above situation could unfold. It makes sense that the 49ers would want the best three defenders on the field and could utilize other cornerback combinations to take advantage of specific matchups.

Here are a couple of other rumors from out of the NFC West, starting with a note out of Glendale:

  • A little over two weeks ago, the Cardinals signed two former Chiefs’ defenders in cornerback Josh Jackson and linebacker Ben Niemann. The two have had diametrically contradicting career paths with the former second-round pick, Jackson, slowly falling into obscurity while the former undrafted free agent, Niemann has earned more and more responsibility each year he’s been in the league. Both of their contracts, though, will be worth the league minimum, according to Sports Illustrated’s Howard Balzer. While that’s a hard pill to swallow for Jackson after the high expectations that came with his draft position, Niemann is likely grateful to be heading into his fifth year of NFL football for the second team to give him an opportunity after initially going undrafted.
  • Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf has been pushing the organization for a new contract lately. The 24-year-old is set to head into the last year of his rookie contract and, while he does want to get paid, he’s also providing the Seahawks a head start on the rest of the league on what would be his eventual free agency. While Metcalf is looking at recent deals like that of his former college teammate, A.J. Brown, the absolute floor of Metcalf’s hypothetical extension was set this week when the Commanders extended star receiver Terry McLaurin, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus writes. Kyed justifies the opinion, saying that, while PFF grades Metcalf slightly lower than McLaurin, Metcalf is over two years younger and has produced at a slightly higher level than McLaurin over their first three years in the league. Whether or not Metcalf undoubtedly deserves more than McLaurin, McLaurin’s new deal sets an intriguing bar as extension talks continue in Seattle.
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