Tag: Kiondre Thomas

Packers elevate CB Kiondre Thomas from practice squad to gameday roster for Week 4

The Packers elevated cornerback Kiondre Thomas from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 4 against the Patriots.

The Green Bay Packers elevated cornerback Kiondre Thomas from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 4. The move was announced Saturday, making Thomas available for Matt LaFleur and the Packers for Sunday’s showdown with the New England Patriots.

Elevating Thomas gives the Packers extra depth at cornerback, where starter Jaire Alexander is questionable with a groin injury and only four other players are available on 53-man roster (Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, Shemar Jean-Charles).

Thomas, an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State, signed with the Packers in January after playing in four games with the Los Angeles Chargers last season.

This preseason, Thomas played 121 snaps on defense and 30 on special teams. He allowed one completion on seven targets and tallied three special teams tackles. PFF graded Thomas as the Packers’ fifth-highest graded defensive player.

The Packers may need Thomas to play snaps on special teams if Nixon and Jean-Charles are getting snaps on defense.

All teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so Thomas will be down to only two more elevations following Week 4. On Monday, he will revert back to the practice squad.

Elevations by week

Week 1: WR Juwann Winfree, S Micah Abernathy
Week 2: RB Patrick Taylor
Week 3: WR Juwann Winfree
Week 4: CB Kiondre Thomas

Packers releasing CB Kiondre Thomas, DL Chris Slayton

The Packers released CB Kiondre Thomas and DL Chris Slayton, two unexpected standouts of the preseason.

Two unexpected standouts of the Green Bay Packers preseason will be released during final roster cuts on Tuesday.

According to Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com, the Packers are releasing defensive lineman Chris Slayton. And according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, the Packers are also releasing cornerback Kiondre Thomas.

Both players are considered to be strong practice squad candidates in Green Bay.

Slayton, previously a seventh-round pick of the Giants in 2019, produced 12 tackles, five total pressures and a team-high six stops, or tackles constituting a failure for the offense, per Pro Football Focus.

Depth along the defensive line made it tough on Slayton and Jack Heflin, who was also released. The Packers have five roster locks and may not want to keep six on the initial 53-man roster.

Thomas made a strong run at a roster spot at cornerback. He was strong in coverage, allowing just one catch on seven targets for eight yards over 65 coverage snaps, per PFF. He added two run stops and two special teams tackles.

Like the defensive line, the Packers probably have five roster locks at cornerback, complicating the path for Thomas. It’s possible Rico Gafford will make the team as the No. 6 option.

Getting Slayton and Thomas back on the practice squad would help bolster the depth at both spots. They will go on waivers but are likely to return if they go unclaimed.

Track all the Packers’ roster cuts on Tuesday here.

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Packers sign two more players to futures deals

The Packers signed WR Rico Gafford and CB Kiondre Thomas to reserve/futures deals on Wednesday.

The Green Bay Packers signed two more players to futures deals after signing 10 from their own practice squad on Tuesday.

The team announced the signing of receiver Rico Gafford and cornerback Kiondre Thomas.

Gafford (5-10,184) is an undrafted free agent from Wyoming (2018) who has spent time with the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos. In eight career NFL games, he has two catches for 66 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown. He also returned one kickoff for 12 yards.

Thomas (6-0, 185) is an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State (2021) who has spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers. He was elevated for four games with the Chargers in 2021 and played 28 snaps on special teams, tallying one tackle.

Both were practice squad players for their respective teams in 2021. The Packers reported tryouts for both players on Tuesday.

Reserve-future deals become active at the start of the new league year. Both Gafford and Thomas will be on the team’s 90-man roster to start the 2022 league year.

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Chargers promote 2 from practice squad to active roster for Week 12

The Chargers added two players from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

The Chargers promoted running back Darius Bradwell and cornerback Kiondre Thomas from the practice squad to the 53-man roster ahead of their matchup against the Broncos.

In search of a spark in the backfield, Bradwell is given a shot to show his worth as a reliable option behind Austin Ekeler. He does offer special teams upside as well.

With Asante Samuel Jr. out due to a concussion, Thomas provides depth in the secondary. He has appeared in three games this season.

Below is the official team statement:

The Los Angeles Chargers today activated running back Darius Bradwell (standard elevation) and cornerback Kiondre Thomas (COVID-19 elevation) from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.

Bradwell spent the 2020 season on the Los Angeles practice squad, seeing action in two games with the Bolts last season as a practice squad elevation. Over four seasons at Tulane, Bradwell ran for 2,062 yards and 17 touchdowns on 289 attempts (5.2 avg.). He posted 1,134 yards in 2018, the eighth 1,000-yard rushing season in school history.

Thomas has appeared in three games for the Chargers this season. He signed to the Los Angeles practice squad in September and spent the offseason with Cleveland after signing with the Browns as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State. Thomas played the 2020 season for the Wildcats after spending three years (2017-19) at Minnesota. In 40 career games at the collegiate level, he totaled 102 tackles (86 solo), an interception, 11 passes defensed, a forced fumble and a recovery.

Chargers make roster moves ahead of Week 9 matchup vs. Eagles

The Chargers are very thin in the secondary.

The Los Angeles Chargers made a few roster moves ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wide receiver Maurice Ffrench and cornerback Kiondre Thomas were elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.

The moves come after Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. were ruled out, and Alohi Gilman is doubtful.

Furthermore, CB Tevaughn Campbell was added to the injury report with a groin and is now questionable.

If Campbell can’t play, Ryan Smith and Kemon Hall will be the starting outside corners while Chris Harris Jr. starts in the slot.

Ffrench, an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh, never appeared in a regular season game with the Chiefs.

Ffrench finished his collegiate career with 156 catches for 1,637 yards and 14 touchdowns in 45 games, while tallying over 600 yards and two touchdowns between punt and kick returns.

Thomas spent three seasons at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas State for his senior campaign, totaling 100 tackles, 11 passes defensed, two tackles for loss and an interception.

Thomas was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Browns.

Browns add 5 undrafted free agents including DT Marvin Wilson

Browns add 5 undrafted free agents including DT Marvin Wilson

The Cleveland Browns have officially added five undrafted free agent rookies to the roster.

The quintet:

  • RB Tre Harbison – Charlotte
  • DE Romeo McKnight – Charlotte
  • CB Emmanuel Rugamba – Miami (Ohio)
  • CB Kiondre Thomas – Kansas State
  • DT Marvin Wilson – Florida State

Wilson is the most prominent of the new additions. A one-time fixture in the first round of future mock drafts, injuries and an overall decline in play pushed the Seminoles standout off draft boards. The Browns won a bidding war for his services.

Both cornerbacks, Rugamba and Thomas, are transfers from Big Ten programs. Harbison and McKnight were teammates for the 49ers program that has produced some other Browns players lately, notably Larry Ogunjobi.

The new UDFAs and the addition of DT Malik McDowell push the Browns roster to 89. That leaves just one opening on the 90-man roster.

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Browns add Kansas State CB Kiondre Thomas as an undrafted free agent

Thomas was a grad transfer from Minnesota

The Cleveland Browns continue to add undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL draft. One of the latest is Kansas State cornerback Kiondre Thomas.

A 6-0, 186-pound outside corner, Thomas played for his first three seasons of college at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas State for the 2020 season. He played in all eight games, starting four, and logged four total passes defended while making 27 total tackles.

At Minnesota, Thomas was a full-time player but only started occasionally. He ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and blazed an impressive 6.97 in the three-cone drill at his pro day.

Thomas’ agent, Paul Sheehy of Pro Star Sports, made the announcement.