Commanders cut Devin Thomas

[rafaelgreco]

Posted by Mike Florio on October 9, 2010 11:12 AM ET
As we reported roughly 30 minutes ago on Twitter (there's a phrase I never would have envisioned typing five years ago), the Commanders have cut receiver Devin Thomas.

A second-round pick in the 2008 draft, Thomas will now be subject to waivers. If he clears waivers, he'll become a free agent.

Thomas was the second receiver taken in the 2008 draft, which featured no first-round wideouts. The Rams selected Donnie Avery with the second pick in the second round (the first round had only 31 picks, due to the Spygate penalty), and the Commanders took Thomas in the next spot.

Still on the board was Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, who went 15 spots (and five receivers) later, at No. 49. Two picks after that, the Commanders took receiver Malcolm Kelly, who also has been a major disappointment.

In two-plus seasons, Thomas caught 40 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns. He had 11 starts with the Commanders.

 

[CATCH17]

Ouch. I was so wrong about Kelly and I couldn't be happier.

 

[jobberone]

Interesting. Shanahan doesn't waste time does he.

 

[ZeroClub]

Making roster room for a running back.

 

[ajk23az]

Commanders released WR Devin Thomas.

The team was actively looking to trade Thomas over the past week, though no team was willing to part with a late-round pick. Thomas mustered only 40 receptions in 34 career games, and was never able to establish himself on offense following the arrival of head coach Mike Shanahan. Thomas is under contract for the league minimum through 2011, and will undoubtedly latch on with a wide receiver thin team such as the Rams.

Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter

 

[burmafrd]

Shanny knows that Danny Boys promise to step back will only last so long. So he is trying to clean house as fast as he can.

 

[SkinsFan82]

Shocking, another wasted draft pick by Vinny Cerrato goes bye-bye. God forbid he had the common sense to pickup Ray Rice or DeSean Jackson with that pick.

It's pretty bad that you can't even make the Commanders at WR, considering they have by far the worst group in the NFC East, possibly in the entire NFC. No one would even throw them a 7th round pick for Thomas.

Anyways, another piece in trying to clean up the mess Vinny left behind, going to take a few more years to get rid of most of it.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

bust.

 

[realtick]

I'd like to hear from someone who follows the Commanders organization what exactly was Devin Thomas' downfall. The guy was/is a supreme athlete and demonstrated a ton of ability at Michigan St. (albeit for just one season).

I wonder if the kid is dense, childish, lazy or all of the above.

For whatever reasons, I think he struggled with the playbook. A majority of his receptions were on short curls, screens or comeback routes; simplified routes to get the ball in his hands.

 

[Hostile]

I hope he gets picked up and reaches his potential.

 

[realtick]

I guess the answers are hinted at here:

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders on Saturday released receiver Devin Thomas, a 2008 second-round draft pick who failed to impress new coach Mike Shanahan.

Thomas was replaced on the roster by running back Keiland Williams, who was promoted from the practice squad for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

Thomas was one of three pass-catchers taken in the second round two years ago in what has turned out to be an extremely disappointing draft by then-front office head Vinny Cerrato.

Thomas had trouble running routes correctly and was dogged by questions about work ethic, receiver Malcolm Kelly hasn't been able to stay healthy and is on injured reserve, and tight end Fred Davis is stuck behind Chris Cooley.

This year, Thomas couldn't make inroads despite a wide open No. 2 receiver competition that still hasn't been adequately filled. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said recently that Thomas needed to take a more professional approach to practice to earn playing time on offense.

Thomas has no catches this season but he had 12 kickoff returns for a 28-yard average.

Williams was promoted because the Commanders were down to two healthy running backs -- Ryan Torain and Chad Simpson -- after Clinton Portis was injured in last week's game. Portis hurt his left groin and is out four to six weeks.

Williams started the season on the active roster and played in three games, catching six passes for 29 yards. He was cut last week and added to the practice squad after clearing waivers.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Shocking, another wasted draft pick by Vinny Cerrato goes bye-bye. God forbid he had the common sense to pickup Ray Rice or DeSean Jackson with that pick.

It's pretty bad that you can't even make the Commanders at WR, considering they have by far the worst group in the NFC East, possibly in the entire NFC. No one would even throw them a 7th round pick for Thomas.

Anyways, another piece in trying to clean up the mess Vinny left behind, going to take a few more years to get rid of most of it.

:laugh2: You skin fans are delusional if you believe he was anything other than a Dan Snyder draft pick.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I'm not sure why anyone, especially Skins fans, could be surprised by this. The kid was a 1 year wonder in college. It's no big shock, at all, that he's been a huge bust in the NFL.

 

[JohnsKey19]

From what I've heard on the local radio shows, he had a poor work ethic initially coming out of college but improved in his 2nd season. But the bigger problem was that he was so raw as a WR and really hasn't shown much improvement in that area. Basically right now he's a great athlete learning the WR position and a good kick returner. Given is size/athleticism and KR ability, it wont take too long for him to get picked up.