San Francisco 49ers: Top 6 biggest offseason winners and losers
By Justin Fried
Loser: Solomon Thomas
But if Ford is considered a winner, then you have to consider a player like Solomon Thomas an unfortunate loser of this offseason.
The 49ers drafted the much-hyped Thomas third overall in the 2017 NFL Draft with the hope that he would become a dominant presence on the defensive line for years to come. But after two NFL seasons, Thomas has hardly lived up to the hype.
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The Stanford product has just four sacks throughout his two seasons and the 49ers have struggled to find a role for him on defense. He hasn’t produced as an edge rusher and he’s been underwhelming in the interior.
A full-time move back to a 3-technique appears to be in the works, but that, unfortunately, means he will take on more of a backup role behind the aforementioned Buckner. With Ford and Bosa holding down the defensive end jobs and Arik Armstead in the mix there as well, it’s hard to see Thomas receiving substantial snaps.
Even players like Sheldon Day or D.J. Jones who are more suited for 1-technique roles could take away some of Thomas’ snaps.
Ultimately, it appears that time is running out for Thomas to make any kind of an impact. And this offseason seemingly accelerated that clock twofold.