Former 49ers Third-Round Pick Finds a New Team

It didn't take long for this former 49ers third-round pick to find a new team after being recently released.

Dec 31, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) catches a touchdown pass in front of San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ambry Thomas (20) during the first half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Well that didn't take long.

Former 49ers third-round pick cornerback Ambry Thomas has found a new team. The Colts have claimed Thomas off waivers after the 49ers released him off Injured Reserve on Tuesday. Thomas was placed on I.R. before the regular season with a broken forearm he suffered on Aug. 10.

It's been over four months since his injury, so Thomas had to have been healed up by now. The 49ers clearly didn't want to use one of the limited I.R. activations on him, especially since the cornerback position was fine. The 49ers cut ties with Thomas after an up-and-down three years with him.

Thomas is the second former 49ers cornerback the Colts have brought in this year. Samuel Womack III was the first player they took and he has been balling out. The Colts are hoping Thomas can do the same for them. I think there's a good chance Thomas does well with the Colts. He was always overly criticized and wasn't given enough credit for the good he did last season.

Remember, Thomas was reinstalled as the starter coming out of last year's Bye Week against the Jaguars. He had his best game ever for the 49ers in that one and would continue to play well. Thomas got his confidence back. Thanks to him, the 49ers found stability in the secondary after Isaiah Oliver proved to be an abysmal addition.

2023 was a solid year for Thomas and was his best one in his career. However, he started to taper off once the playoffs began. It's very possible the playoff atmosphere got to Thomas and he felt a ton of pressure. That is why the 49ers didn't start him in the Super Bowl and went with veteran Logan Ryan instead.

Being waived by the 49ers is the best for both parties. The 49ers have rookie Renardo Green who is already way better than Thomas and have Deommodore Lenoir locked in for the long term. Thomas gets a chance to find playing time on a new team with the hope of having similar results as Womack.

Thomas was originally drafted by the 49ers as the 102nd overall selection of the 2021 NFL Draft and appeared in 42 games (11 starts) and registered 65 tackles, 12 passes defensed, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also appeared in five postseason contests (four starts) and tallied 21 tackles and one pass defensed.

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