Can Josh Thomas make the 53-man roster in his second season with the Buffalo Bills?
Last year, the Buffalo Bills safety position was pretty well set with Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer as the starters. After them, was Dean Marlowe, who has spent almost his entire career in Sean McDermott’s defense, along with 2019 sixth round draft pick Jaquan Johnson.
However, the Bills added two undrafted free agent safeties with one of those being Josh Thomas out of Appalachian State. Unfortunately, opportunities were limited to make the roster with no offseason workouts and no preseason games.
Even though he was cut before the start of the season, Josh Thomas made enough of an impact that he was added to their practice squad. The question now is can Josh Thomas make enough of a case during training camp and preseason that he should be on the 53-man roster in 2021.
Profile
Position: Safety
Age: 24
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 205 pounds
Years of Experience: 1
2020 Stats
Josh Thomas appeared in two games last season, Week 8 against the New England Patriots and Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals. He played only on special teams in both games and had one total tackle.
Expectations for the 2021 season with the Buffalo Bills
This season Josh Thomas likely will face another uphill climb to earn a spot on the 53-man roster with the Buffalo Bills. The team still has Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, and Jaquan Johnson and while they did lose Dean Marlowe, who signed with the Detroit Lions as a free agent, they drafted Damir Hamlin this year and he should be considered the favorite to take Marlowe’s spot.
However, this is not to say that this is a guarantee that Hamlin gets that spot. Josh Thomas does have a year of experience with this coaching staff and was able to be elevated twice from the practice squad. If he can prove he has value on special teams, he may be able to grab one of the final roster spots this year.