Cardinals LB Cameron Thomas Named 2023 Breakout Star

Arizona Cardinals second-year defender Cameron Thomas has a chance to be a breakout star according to an NFL.com writer.

The Arizona Cardinals lost key starters on their defensive front seven this offseason.

With departures from Zach Allen, J.J. Watt and Markus Golden, first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon will be asking for major contributions from a group of youngsters.

Arizona's pass-rushers include second-round pick BJ OJulari and two second-year edge rushers in Myjai Sanders and Cameron Thomas.

NFL.com's Adam Rank recently put out a piece naming the Cardinals' breakout star in 2023, and Thomas was his choice.

"The Cardinals will look to Thomas, who was a third-round pick last year, to be the guy to put some heat on the quarterback," Rank wrote. "He earned a defensive grade of 69.9 from Pro Football Focus as a rookie in 2022, placing him in the top 50 of edge defenders."

Thomas will have a chance to make his first start in 2023 after appearing in 17 games last season. He played in just 230 snaps in 2022, but posted three sacks on 236 defensive snaps. 

The former third-round pick Thomas is just 23-years-old. He showed explosive flashes while registering a pass rush grade of 70.5 on PFF, which ranks third out of current Cardinals players after Isaiah Simmons (83.5) and Krys Barnes (73.5). 

With more opportunity to play and a defensive system that will help him, the Cardinals rookie has a chance to be a contributor early on in his career.