Former Browns Draft Pick Given Second Chance In Detroit

The Detroit Lions could revive this former Cleveland Browns draft pick career by signing him to their active roster

Oct 31, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Isaiah Thomas (58) sacks Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns came into this year stacked at defensive end and didn’t have room for 2022 7th-round pick Isaiah Thomas. The Detroit Lions gave him another chance on an active roster, signing him off the Bengals practice squad Tuesday morning.

Thomas was drafted out of Oklahoma and appeared in 10 games as a rookie. He recorded nine tackles and a sack in his limited time on the field. The Florida native remained on the Browns roster through 2023, but did not appear in a game. 

The Lions turned to Thomas with a desperate need for a defensive end. Star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome leg injury in the team's 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday.

Hutchinson and Thomas started their careers on opposite ends of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Lions trusted the Michigan product enough to take him with the number two overall pick. As for Thomas, despite recording 16.5 sacks across his final two college seasons, he slipped in the draft. Thomas was selected with the second pick of the final round.

Now, someone the Browns once saw as a promising young piece is getting his second chance. 

Lions head coach Dan Campbell and the team won’t expect the former Browns player to supplement the production of one of the league’s best pass rushers. Instead, Thomas looks for any way to contribute to the team.

If anything, it won’t be his size that deters his success in Detroit. The twenty-five-year-old stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 266 pounds.

Luckily for Thomas, he won’t enter the building as a complete stranger. He reunites with former Browns teammate Donovan Peoples-Jones. The wide receiver currently finds himself on Detroit's Practice Squad.