NFL Rumors: LB Cameron Thomas Traded to Chiefs; Cardinals Get 7th-Round Draft Pick

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVAugust 27, 2024

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The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly added some defensive depth on Monday.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the reigning champions acquired linebacker Cameron Thomas from the Arizona Cardinals for a seventh-round draft pick. Rapoport noted this gives the Chiefs “some added edge help.”

Arizona selected Thomas out of San Diego State with a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, but he was just a secondary contributor for the NFC West team.

He appeared in all 17 games as a rookie and posted 18 tackles, three sacks and one pass defended. He then appeared in 15 games last season and finished with 22 tackles, zero sacks, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown.

Perhaps a change of scenery can help him unlock some of the potential the Cardinals surely saw when they used a mid-round pick on him in 2022.

Thomas joins a Chiefs team that thrived on getting to the quarterback last season.

They were second in the league with 57 sacks, which helped propel them into the postseason and eventual Super Bowl title. It was their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy and third in the last five years, and anything less than another ring would be considered a disappointment for the league’s golden standard.

Even the possibility that Thomas can help them achieve just that as an additional pass-rusher makes it worth giving up a seventh-round pick.