Tag: Tavierre Thomas

Bucs sign free agent CB Tavierre Thomas

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to bolster their depth in the secondary with another veteran addition in Tavierre Thomas

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added more depth to their secondary Monday, signing free agent cornerback Tavierre Thomas.

An undrafted free agent out of Ferris State in 2018, Thomas started his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals, then spent three years with the Cleveland Browns. Over the past three seasons, he’s served primarily as a slot corner for the Houston Texans.

The Bucs already have their starting slot corner in Christian Izien, who was a pleasant surprise as an undrafted free agent himself last year as a rookie. Thomas will provide some quality depth and experience behind Izien, bolstering the entire defensive backfield and also contributing on special teams.

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Texans place CB Tavierre Thomas on injured reserve

The Houston Texans have placed CB Tavierre Thomas on injured reserve for Week 15.

The Houston Texans’ secondary continues to take attrition.

The Texans placed cornerback Tavierre Thomas on injured reserve Saturday as the team makes preparations for Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at Nissan Stadium.

The 27-year-old from Ferris State generated 51 combined tackles with two tackles for loss along with two forced fumbles and a pass breakup through nine games, five of which he started.

Houston also declared receiver Steven Sims and linebacker Garret Wallow as their standard elevations from the practice squad.

The Texans also activated kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn from injured reserve, ensuring the former Lou Groza Award winner will be able to go against the Titans.

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CB Desmond King sees rejoining Texans as ‘fresh start’

In returning to the Houston Texans, cornerback Desmond King sees a fresh start in a familiar place.

As Houston Texans cornerback Tavierre Thomas sat down at his locker, he was greeted by an old friend who didn’t speak a word. He just gave Thomas a look, and both men erupted in laughter, keeping the reporters in attendance in suspense, wondering what the inside joke was all about.

That camaraderie was something that Thomas had missed after defensive back Desmond King was surprisingly cut at the conclusion of training camp this past summer after spending the prior two seasons with the Texans. The Pittsburgh Steelers quickly added him to their roster, hoping to use his unique skill set to help them get through the rough AFC North, but after three games, including one against the Texans, the Steelers released him.

King, 28, went to San Diego, California, to train and keep himself in shape while spending time with his one-year-old daughter. When that call came from his agent that Houston wanted to sign him to the practice squad and bring him back home, King was ready to come back to the franchise, where he started 25 of 33 games, recording 182 tackles and five interceptions.

“I am excited to be back,” King said after practice on Wednesday. “That’s all that matters. Giving me a second chance here to come back and be with the family; I missed these guys so much. Just to see them doing well, it’s good to be back in a good presence with them.

“I feel like this is an opportunity for me just to come out here and play ball. Not to think too much about it and come here with a clear mind. Like I have said before, this is a fresh start; just go in and do what I do best, and that is play football.”

Although King was not a part of the team, he kept up with his former teammates from a distance, watching the amount of success they were having and keeping themselves in a position to win the AFC South title.

“I was still watching even when I was away; I was still watching the guys and still rooting for them,” King said. “It’s good just to see them doing well and being a part of the family.”

The Texans recognized King and Thomas’s bond on and off the field as they talked continuously about football and life. So, when King returned, they placed his locker next to Thomas’s so the bond could continue growing.

“It is great to have him back,” Thomas said. “He is very versatile and will help me out a lot. He is going to help the back end out a lot in general because he can play all positions. Just having him back is a blessing. That is my brother, and anytime I can play with my brother, I am happy.”

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Texans cornerbacks placed among Pro Football Focus’ top-32 for Week 1

The Houston Texans had three cornerbacks appear on Pro Football Focus’ top-32 list for Week 1.

There were favorable happenings for the Houston Texans in their Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Although being squelched 25-9 and beginning another rebuilding season with an 0-1 mark invites its own pessimism, the Texans had a few positive trends develop on the field at M&T Bank Stadium.

Would you believe three of the best cornerbacks across the league were in Texans uniforms in Week 1?

According to John Kosko from Pro Football Focus, the top cornerback was Tavierre Thomas, who earned a 91.2 coverage grade from the analytics firm.

Thomas locked it down vs. the Ravens, recording four pass stops, including one tackle for a loss. Not only was he excellent on targeted passes, where he allowed -0.308 expected points added (EPA) per target, but Thomas was the eighth-best cornerback at preventing separation on all pass plays.

Steven Nelson came in at No. 8 overall with an 84.9 coverage grade. Considering the 30-year-old had an interception and a pass breakup, it would be hard to argue Nelson not being somewhere around the top-10.

Second-year Derek Stingley made the list, but had an interesting placement at No. 24 with a 65.0 grade.

Stingley looked more like the LSU freshman version of himself in Week 1, as he allowed just one catch for 20 yards and forced an incompletion while allowing the fourth-best separation rate of the week.

If the Texans are able to consistently take care of the boundaries and add tight slot coverage, it won’t be hard to find once the offense starts scoring points and opponents have to play catch-up.

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Why the Texans’ slot defense may be top notch in 2023

The Houston Texans have two of the top-3 slot corners in the NFL according to the Touchdown Wire.

The one area where the Houston Texans were stellar last season defensively was takeaways. Despite finishing 3-13-1, the Texans were in the top-10. The rest of Houston’s defense left a lot to be desired, which is why coach Lovie Smith got the boot and the Texans hired former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

The Texans may actually have one of the better slot defenses in 2023, and it has to do with existing talent and also talent acquisition.

According to Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, cornerback Tavierre Thomas is the best slot defender in the NFL, and uses some of Thomas’ highlights last season to make his case.

Whether he’s matching receivers deep, as he did against Parris Campbell of the Colts on this pass deflection in Week 18…

…or reading the quick pass and blowing it up, as he did against CeeDee Lamb of the Cowboys in Week 14…

Farrar also goes on to mention Ward, who comes in at No. 3 on the list:

Last season, the 49ers ranked second in the NFL behind only the Patriots with 652 snaps in which they had three safeties on the field. When you have Tashaun Gipson Sr., Talanoa Hufanga, and Jimmie Ward in your defense, that makes a ton of sense. In 2022, Gipson and Hufanga were underrated assets in deep coverage in DeMeco Ryans’ defense, while Ward was the pointman in the slot. Last season in slot coverage, Ward allowed 65 catches on 80 targets from the slot for 516 yards, 319 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 91.5.

With the Texans’ defense having two stupendous slot corners in Thomas and Ward, it should allow their pass defense packages to remain versatile.

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The NFL’s 11 best slot defenders

Doug Farrar continues his positional lists of the NFL’s best players with the 11 best slot defenders heading into the 2023 NFL season.

In the 2022 NFL season, defenses played nickel (five defensive backs) on 12,630 opponent passing attempts. Defenses played dime (six defensive backs) on 2,715 opponent dropbacks. With just 3,206 opponent dropbacks against four defensive backs last season, base defense is no longer base defense — nickel is the new base, and has been for some time.

Moreover, the influx of three-safety looks in the NFL has increased, as has the specific “big nickel” looks with three safeties and two cornerbacks.

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The point of this preamble? That slot defenders are more important than they’ve ever been. Whether it’s in a more traditional nickel or dime look with just one slot defender, or defenses aligning two slot defenders to the strong side of the 3×1 formation, slot defenders aren’t just pre-emptive starters anymore — they’re integral parts of modern defenses, and good luck having a great defense without at least one.

Slot defenders have their own skill sets. It’s not like it was 20 years ago, when the smallest, slowest defensive back on a roster was relegated to the slot. Now, those guys need to have the coverage skills of cornerbacks, the run-stopping abilities of strong safeties, and the blitz instincts of linebackers.

It’s a fascinating gig.

As Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup said in this week’s edition of the “Xs and Os” podcast/video, the requirements for top-tier slot defenders make it a unique position.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect secondary

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“Slot defenders are an interesting breed. They can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be smaller, like Mike Hilton, who I think is one of the best slot defenders in the league. They can be bigger; it depends on what you want. But think of it this way — I know the numbers might be going down a bit, but teams line up in 11 personnel [one running back, one tight end, three receivers] a majority of the time. And teams are playing out of 11 personnel on first down — on second-and-3. What we consider normal down-and-distance situations where the run game is part of the offense. It’s not jst a third-down situation.

“Your slot defender is not just a pass defender. Your slot defender has to be able to defend the run, because there are a lot of teams that run toward the slot defender, because they know he’s not as good a run defender as you’d see running to the other side, where you might have bigger bodies. He also has to be part of pressure schemes. How often do we see slot defenders in today’s NFL as blitzers?

“So, not only do you have to play man coverage against receivers who have a two-way go, you also have to play underneath zone coverage, which is different than playing underneath zone coverage if you’re an outside cornerback. There are different rules, because zones all have their own rules.”

As has been the case with other defensive backs on this year’s list, the transfer of power from season to season is inconsistent, at best. Just two slot defenders from last year’s list — Derwin James and Kyle Dugger — made it in the 2023 group. Sometimes, that was about positional changes; other times, the performances from last year’s top slot defenders were simply eclipsed by the new guys.

No matter how you slice it, it’s tough to be a great slot defender in today’s NFL, and here are out 11 best heading into the 2023 season.

The NFL’s 11 best cornerbacks
The NFL’s 11 best safeties

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

The NFL’s All-Underrated Team: One Secret Superstar for all 32 teams

From Matt Milano to Denico Autry to Tyler Lockett to Tony Pollard, here are the NFL’s most underrated players by team.

Why are great players underrated in any sport?

There are all kinds of reasons. In football, it could be that the guy playing your position is even better than you are, and he’s been doing it longer. Maybe we only have the attention span for one great player at your position Maybe you’re on a team that doesn’t get much national praise, or you’re part of a unit that… well, stinks… and you’re one of the few bright spots. Or, you’re just getting started on the ascent, and the world hasn’t quite caught up yet.

No matter the reason, there are many NFL players who ply their trade at an exceedingly high level, and they’re not given their proper due. Here, we look to rectify this in 32 individual instances with the most underrated player for every NFL team. Some of these guys have been doing it the right way in the shade for a long time for their teams; a few are new in their uniforms.

No matter why, all 32 of these NFL players deserve more love than they get, and here’s why. Here is every NFL team’s most underrated player.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

Report: Texans re-sign CB Tavierre Thomas to 1-year contract

The Houston Texans are brining back cornerback Tavierre Thomas on a one-year deal.

The Houston Texans are giving Tavierre Thomas another shot — for the third straight year.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans have re-signed the 5-10, 205-pound cornerback to a one-year contract.

If Thomas completes the 2023 season with the Texans, he will have spent just as many years with Houston as he did with the Cleveland Browns, where he caught on as an undrafted free agent in 2018 from Ferris State.

Thomas provided the Texans with depth at cornerback last year, contributing with 41 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup through 10 games, six of which he started.

The 27-year-old was the Texans’ Ed Block Courage Award winner last season. Thomas told reporters on Dec. 20 that he is also trying to get into real estate in addition to his pro football career.

“I’m trying to get into a lot of real estate because I’ve never even thought about anything else outside of football,” said Thomas. “I’m trying AirBnBs [rental properties] and that sort of stuff, so, I’m going pretty good now.”

No need for Thomas’ plan B as his football career continues at least for another season with the Texans.

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Giants reportedly interested in CB Tavierre Thomas

The New York Giants reportedly have an interest in veteran cornerback Tavierre Thomas.

The New York Giants are one of several teams interested in Houston Texans free agent cornerback Tavierre Thomas.

The 27-year-old Thomas (5’10, 205) was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Ferris State by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. He was released during final cuts and signed by the Cleveland Browns.

Thomas played 45 games with three starts for the Browns before signing a two-year deal with the Texans in March 2021. Thomas played all 17 games in 2021 recording 83 tackles.

Thomas was limited to 10 games last season by a quad injury.

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