With the San Francisco 49ers bringing in two veteran cornerbacks this offseason and using a second-round pick on Renardo Green in this year's draft, the end would appear to be nigh for Ambry Thomas' time with the team.
The 2021 third-round pick was benched for the 49ers' Super Bowl 58 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, with a succession of poor displays in their previous two playoff games undoing the good work Thomas had done in previously locking down a role as an outside corner on nickel downs.
Inconsistency has blighted Thomas over the course of his three seasons in the league, and the Niners moves this offseason would seem to suggest they have had enough of his ups and downs.
Thomas will need to impress in training camp and preseason to make a successful pitch to stay on the team as a backup to starters Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.
But he already has one compelling counter-argument against the idea of cutting him this offseason, having excelled in a specific area of the field in 2023.
Indeed, Thomas was outstanding defending the pass in the red zone last season.
In a piece looking at the most targeted cornerbacks by situation, PFF's Mason Cameron identified Thomas as one of the NFL's better coverage defenders inside the 20-yard line.
Cameron wrote:
"While Thomas did struggle at times this past season, he was at home in the red zone, where he secured the third-highest coverage grade (89.9) at the position. It was also highest grade of any cornerback targeted more than 20% of the time. When his team is backed up, Thomas locks in, showing physicality and reaction speed to close on underneath routes with sure tackling, amassing the most forced incompletions (five) and coverage stops (five) at the position."
Thomas won't be able to lean solely on his prowess in the red zone as he looks to keep his place on the 49ers' 53-man roster, especially given his inconsistency in making plays at the catch point was often a key reason why opposing offenses ended up in that area of the field.
But in a potential battle for the final spot on the cornerback depth chart with Darrell Luter Jr. and Samuel Womack III, his recent success in those high-leverage situations could be a tiebreaker if the competition is even.
Failing that, the 49ers could use his numbers in that area in possible trade discussions if they try to recoup a late-round draft pick for Thomas.
With the moves the 49ers have made at corner, Thomas is something of a forgotten man. However, his play down the stretch of the regular season last year should not be totally discredited, and it's up to Thomas to prove he can have value regardless of the yardage line as he bids to extend his Niners career.
