The Kansas City Chiefs made an addition to their defense on Tuesday by acquiring edge rusher Cameron Thomas from the Arizona Cardinals.
Here are five things to know about the newest member of the defense.
1. Thomas originally entered the NFL as a third-round pick in 2022.
A third-round pick (No. 87 overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft, Thomas recorded six quarterback hits, three tackles-for-loss and three sacks in 17 games as a rookie. He then tallied three tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery for a touchdown this past season.
Here's more on Thomas from The Athletic's 2022 draft guide:
"Thomas is a hard-charger with the cranked motor and physical hands to wear down blockers and find the football. He projects as a 4-3 defensive end with three-down potential."
2. He often made the most of his pass-rushing opportunities in Arizona.
Thomas was on the field for only 155 pass-rushing opportunities during his rookie campaign in 2022, but despite the limited chances, he still managed to tally 19 quarterback pressures. He followed up that strong showing with a similar performance last year, too, logging 16 pressures on 200 pass-rushing snaps.
3. Thomas just wrapped up a strong preseason.
The 24-year-old Thomas was quite effective during the Cardinals' three preseason games, tallying nine pressures and three sacks on 57 pass-rushing snaps. In fact, Thomas' three sacks ranked third among all players during this year's preseason.
Thomas was also active on special teams during the preseason, logging 25 snaps across kickoff return (9 snaps), kickoff coverage (2 snaps), punt return (2 snaps), punt coverage (4 snaps) and field goal block (8 snaps).
4. Thomas possesses the size and versatility to play off the edge and as an interior pass-rusher.
The 6-foot-5, 267-pound Thomas played all over the defensive line in college, recording significant snaps as an edge rusher and as an interior defensive lineman. He shifted to outside linebacker to fit within Arizona's 3-4 scheme in 2022, and he remained there in the Cardinals' multiple scheme last year, which still utilized stand-up pass-rushers.
It's worth noting that despite his primary role as a stand-up edge rusher, Arizona still deployed Thomas as an interior rusher on occasion, including during this year's preseason. One of those snaps, which featured Thomas as a stand-up, interior pass-rusher, resulted in a sack against Indianapolis.
Now a member of Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's 4-3 scheme, it's reasonable to assume that he'll return to his natural position as a versatile defensive end with his hand in the dirt. Additionally, considering Spagnuolo's tendency to utilize his defensive ends on the interior, it's likely Thomas will have an opportunity to earn snaps as an inside rusher, too.
5. He played his college ball at San Diego State.
A native of Carlsbad, California just outside of San Diego, Thomas chose San Diego State due in part to his brother, Zachary, who was an offensive lineman for the Aztecs from 2016-21.
He went on to play four seasons at San Diego State, logging 155 tackles, 39 tackles-for-loss, 21 sacks, three passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 36 games (34 starts). He was particularly prolific during his final year in school, recording 20.5 tackles-for-loss and 11.5 sacks in 14 starts.
Thomas, who led the Mountain West in both tackles-for-loss and sacks that year, garnered Second-Team All-America recognition for his efforts in 2021. Additionally, his 71 tackles that year ranked second among all FBS defensive linemen, and his 20.5 tackles-for-loss ranked third among all FBS players.
His performance led to a top-100 selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, and now just three years later, he's headed to Kansas City to join the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions.
