The Atlanta Falcons announced on Mar. 12 that they have signed free agent defensive end Cameron Thomas.
The signing brings a player with experience and familiarity with new head coach Kevin Stefanski, which could help the team as it prepares for the upcoming season. The Falcons compete in the National Football League’s NFC South division and are based in Atlanta, Georgia, according to the official website.
Thomas was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 and spent two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, where he played under Stefanski. “He’s a coach that you can just hear when he talks, he believes in everything he says,” Thomas said. “It’s really easy as a player to buy in to his beliefs in his program.” In his first full season with the Browns, Thomas recorded 2.5 sacks and set career highs in tackles (28) and quarterback hits (7).
Known for his versatility since his college days at San Diego State University, Thomas fits into defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s scheme. Stefanski said at the NFL Combine, “We want to be versatile in what we do defensively. We want to have the ability to jump into different looks, if you will, play different coverages, if you will. So, we’re always looking for versatility and that’s our job. And I think Brick did a great job last season of finding the talents of our players and playing to their talents and not asking them to do something maybe that doesn’t highlight their ability.”
Over four years in the NFL, Thomas has played 58 games with three starts and has accumulated 79 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, 11 tackles for loss, two pass defenses and one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
He joins a defense that finished second in sacks league-wide last year—one spot ahead of his former team—and will work under Ulbrich and defensive line coach Nate Ollie. “Ulbrich’s got respect amongst the league. Being a former player and now a coach, he can understand what a lot of players go through and what he asks,” Thomas said. “It’s very exciting to be able to play for a coach that’s also been a former player. He just throws it all together. He’s got a really nice defense.”
The Falcons began as an expansion team in 1965 according to their official website and have advanced to the Super Bowl twice—in 1998 and again in 2016—as reported by their official site. Freddie the Falcon serves as their mascot according to information from their official website.