Joe Thomas Is Back! Well, He Is Competing At Least

Since retiring from the NFL, Joe Thomas has been public about his efforts to try to shape his body for life after playing what will prove to be a Hall of Fame career for the Cleveland Browns. Sunday night, Thomas showed off the fruits of his labors in a difficult competition where he shined.

Former Cleveland Browns Joe Thomas announced he is back, competing again. Not on the football field, but on a television competition called Titan Games, that was televised on NBC Sunday night and hosted by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

.@Matt1Chan is giving it his all, but @joethomas73 won't be giving up that easily! #TitanGames pic.twitter.com/LJrY1LHgdD

— The Titan Games (@nbctitangames) May 26, 2020

Since retiring from football, Thomas has been open about his training regimen and his diet, dropping a bunch of weight while trying to maximize his body. First and foremost to eliminate some of the pain he's been dealing with in his knees and back due to carrying almost 300 pounds, but to try to keep himself healthy for life after football while still feeding his competitive appetite.

Thomas, in usual self deprecating fashion, poked fun at himself seeing the event on television.

That was so incredibly exhausting that my vision started blurring at the end and I was losing coordination in my legs. Brain was not receiving oxygen...

Then I watch the replay and it looks like a walk in the park on a spring day 😂😂 https://t.co/nUioj5SX0O

— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) May 26, 2020

In what looked exhausting just to watch, Thomas competed in a series of events that asked him to engage just about every muscle in his body, show coordination and use sheer force to defeat the course and the opponent. Thomas was able to edge out the opponent in what was a photo finish with a great deal of drama.

With live sports still largely an oasis in a desert at this point, perhaps shows like Titan Games can help fill the void.

Perhaps it's entirely a function of where he was in his training combined with the opportunity presented to him by Titan Games, but it does stand out that Thomas is out doing this after the Browns draft Jedrick Wills in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Even if it's mere coincidence, it should at least reduce the amount of times he'll be asked if he's coming back to play for the Browns since he was able to look that physically dominant in this televised event.