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Saints claim former Packer Thomas off waivers
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Archive
Second-year cornerback Joey Thomas, released on Wednesday by the Green Bay Packers, was awarded on waivers to the New Orleans Saints on Thursday afternoon, ESPN.com has learned.
[size=-2]Hodges[/size]
Four other franchises -- Dallas, Miami, St. Louis and San Francisco -- also submitted waiver claims on the former third-round draft choice. By virtue of having the poorest record of the group, the Saints were awarded Thomas, a talented player who wore out his welcome with the Packers' brass.
Some league observers actually felt that more teams might submit claims for Thomas. But with his release coming Wednesday, some teams likely didn't want to have to try to clear a roster spot for him so late in the week.
So for just $161,470, the prorated share of Thomas' base salary for the final nine weeks of the 2005 season, the Saints get to examine the cornerback's play for two months and make a determination on his future. New Orleans essentially inherited the balance of the four-year, $2.1 contract Thomas signed as a rookie, which calls for minimum salaries of $385,000 in 2006 and $460,000 in 2007.
It is difficult in the NFL to find an experienced cornerback -- one with very good size (6 feet, 190 pounds), physical skills, and obvious potential -- for such a palatable price. Now it will be up to the New Orleans coaching staff to try to coax Thomas into fulfilling his potential over the final two months of the campaign.
Thomas, 25, has played in 20 games in two seasons with the Packers, including six games this year. The former Montana State standout has 28 tackles and four passes defensed. He has played principally as a right cornerback in "nickel" and "dime" situations, but vied for a starting job this summer.
A calf injury suffered during Green Bay's offseason workout program, and a subsequent hip injury in-season, slowed Thomas' development to some extent. He was affected, as well, by an ongoing battle with fellow second-year cornerback Ahmad Carroll, the first-round choice of the Packers in 2004. Thomas will need to mature both on and off the field, but it will help that his agents at Momentum Sports Management are headquartered in San Antonio, where the Saints are practicing during this disruptive season.
Shortly after his Wednesday release, which was mildly surprising, Thomas insisted he is still an NFL-caliber player.
"No one can convince me otherwise," he said. "It's one of those things where it didn't work out [in Green Bay], but it doesn't change what I believe in myself."
The Packers waived Thomas just three days after he committed a costly penalty in their Sunday loss at Cincinnati, a game during which he was benched. Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here
.
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Archive
Second-year cornerback Joey Thomas, released on Wednesday by the Green Bay Packers, was awarded on waivers to the New Orleans Saints on Thursday afternoon, ESPN.com has learned.
Four other franchises -- Dallas, Miami, St. Louis and San Francisco -- also submitted waiver claims on the former third-round draft choice. By virtue of having the poorest record of the group, the Saints were awarded Thomas, a talented player who wore out his welcome with the Packers' brass.
Some league observers actually felt that more teams might submit claims for Thomas. But with his release coming Wednesday, some teams likely didn't want to have to try to clear a roster spot for him so late in the week.
So for just $161,470, the prorated share of Thomas' base salary for the final nine weeks of the 2005 season, the Saints get to examine the cornerback's play for two months and make a determination on his future. New Orleans essentially inherited the balance of the four-year, $2.1 contract Thomas signed as a rookie, which calls for minimum salaries of $385,000 in 2006 and $460,000 in 2007.
It is difficult in the NFL to find an experienced cornerback -- one with very good size (6 feet, 190 pounds), physical skills, and obvious potential -- for such a palatable price. Now it will be up to the New Orleans coaching staff to try to coax Thomas into fulfilling his potential over the final two months of the campaign.
Thomas, 25, has played in 20 games in two seasons with the Packers, including six games this year. The former Montana State standout has 28 tackles and four passes defensed. He has played principally as a right cornerback in "nickel" and "dime" situations, but vied for a starting job this summer.
A calf injury suffered during Green Bay's offseason workout program, and a subsequent hip injury in-season, slowed Thomas' development to some extent. He was affected, as well, by an ongoing battle with fellow second-year cornerback Ahmad Carroll, the first-round choice of the Packers in 2004. Thomas will need to mature both on and off the field, but it will help that his agents at Momentum Sports Management are headquartered in San Antonio, where the Saints are practicing during this disruptive season.
Shortly after his Wednesday release, which was mildly surprising, Thomas insisted he is still an NFL-caliber player.
"No one can convince me otherwise," he said. "It's one of those things where it didn't work out [in Green Bay], but it doesn't change what I believe in myself."
The Packers waived Thomas just three days after he committed a costly penalty in their Sunday loss at Cincinnati, a game during which he was benched. Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here
