The 49ers Missed Opportunity: Ambry Thomas’ Untapped Potential Leaves Fans Wondering
Yet another wasted early draft pick.
The 49ers announced that they have waived former third-round draft pick cornerback Ambry Thomas from the Injured Reserve List with three games remaining in the regular season.
Thomas broke his forearm during the 49ers’ 17-13 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 10 and went on season-ending I.R. Had the 49ers not waived him, he would have become an unrestricted free agent in a couple months, so the 49ers essentially gave him a head start in his search for a new team.
The 49ers took Thomas with pick no. 102 in the 2021 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he was solid. He started five games and intercepted Matthew Stafford in overtime of Week 18 to send the 49ers to the playoffs. He seemed promising. Even last season, he played 49 percent of the defensive snaps and even started two games in the playoffs. But they benched in the Super Bowl in favor of veteran Logan Ryan who gave up the game-losing touchdown catch to Mecole Hardman in overtime.
It’s possible Thomas will catch on elsewhere and have success. He’s still just 25 years old. And the 49ers have released quality cornerbacks in the past. Just a few months ago, they waived Samuel Womack who has become a quality no. 3 cornerback for the Colts this season. Also in 2020, they waived D.J. Reed who has become one of the top cornerbacks in the league for the Jets the past few seasons.
It will be interesting to see where Thomas goes from here.
