Las Vegas Raiders: Grading defensive free agent additions
Las Vegas Raiders: Grading defensive free agent additions
Solomon Thomas – Defensive End/Tackle, San Francisco 49ers
Are you catching on to the theme of the week so far for the Raiders? In yet another move that bolsters the defensive line and gives the player a platform to prove themselves, the Raiders signed former San Francisco 49er Solomon Thomas to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million.
Thomas was chosen third overall in the 2017 draft and is perhaps unfairly maligned as one of the players drafted ahead of Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes but has underperformed so far in his career. In 4 years with the 49ers, Thomas has not been very productive and was demoted to a rotational role in 2019. His snap counts dwindled from around 60% to 41% in 2019 and his 2020 was cut short with an ACL injury in September.
Similar to Jefferson, Thomas is a guy that can play both end and tackle and he was a solid run defender when healthy. Rushing the passer is not his forte however but run defense was a concern for the Raiders in 2020 as well.
The impact of signing Kenyan Drake. dark. Next
The Raiders are hoping that he can prove that he is still the player that was worthy of the third overall pick but even if he is just a decent defensive end with some upside that is just fine too. There is no guarantee that Thomas will even be on the roster come September until we see the full details of the contract but if he plays at a high level then it will be a welcome change.