The Arizona Cardinals hope that second-year linebacker Cam Thomas can make big strides in 2023, his second NFL season. There are other eyes on him, too. Touchdown Wire managing editor Doug Farrar featured the “secret superstar” of each team, an underrated player on the roster who should produce this coming season.
His player for the Cardinals is Thomas, whom the Cardinals drafted in the third round last year.
Thomas first found himself on my radar as I was watching the 2022 class of pass-rushers — only Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. had more total pressures in the FBS in 2021 (82) than Thomas’ 77. The Cardinals took the San Diego State alum with the 87th pick in the third round of the 2022 draft, and Thomas responded well in his rookie campaign. He had three sacks, three quarterback hits, and 13 quarterback hurries in just 155 pass-rushing snaps, and it seemed that the more he played, the more productive he was.
At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Thomas can disrupt from any gap — he spent most of his time on the edge, but with J.J. Watt retired and Zach Allen off to the Broncos (more on him in a minute), and the Cardinals’ defensive front pretty barren overall at this point, maybe Thomas might kick inside more often and do more of what he did to 49ers right guard Spencer Burford and quarterback Brock Purdy on this Week 18 sack.
Thomas presumably will get significant playing time in 2023 and will probably be a starter.
With no experienced pass rushers on the edge (the OLB room includes Thomas, fellow 2022 third-round pick Myjai Sanders, second-year pro Jesse Luketa, third-year pro Victor Dimukeje, veteran special teams stud Dennis Gardeck and rookie second-round pick B.J. Ojulari), Thomas should play a lot, giving him the potential to, if he can build on his pressure numbers from last season in very limited playing time, to produce more than respectable stats.
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