Bryan Thomas (American football)

Bryan Thomas (born June 7, 1979) is a former American football linebacker and defensive end. He was drafted by the New York Jets 22nd overall in the 2002 NFL Draft and spent his entire 11-year career with the team.[1] He played college football at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Bryan Thomas
refer to caption
Thomas in 2009.
No. 99, 58
Position:Outside linebacker
Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1979-06-07) June 7, 1979
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:Minor (Adamsville, Alabama)
College:UAB
NFL Draft:2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:442
Sacks:33.5
Forced Fumbles:7
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life

Thomas was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he played college football for the UAB Blazers.

Professional career

The 6'4" Thomas had an impressive combine performance that elevated him from a mid-second round pick to the first round.[2]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash20-yard shuttleVertical jumpBench press
6 ft 4+1⁄2 in
(1.94 m)		 266 lb
(121 kg)		 4.47 s4.01 s35 in
(0.89 m)		33 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3]

Thomas played 15 games in his rookie year of 2002 collecting a half-sack and 5 total tackles.

Thomas played all 16 games (10 started) in 2003 with a sack, 3 passes defended, one fumble recovery, and 26 total tackles.

Thomas played in 14 games (6 started) of the 2004 season with 1.5 sacks, a pass defended, and 28 total tackles.

Playing 16 games (4 starts) of the 2005 season, Thomas has 3.5 sacks, 2 passes defended, and 25 total tackles

Thomas played his entire career as a defensive end until being converted to a linebacker in the 3-4 defense for the Jets during the 2006 NFL season. Thomas became a defensive end when Mangini used a 4-3 defense. Thomas led the New York Jets in sacks with 8.5 sacks. This was his breakout season playing as an outside linebacker with new head coach Eric Mangini. At the end of the 2006 season, Thomas was awarded a new contract.

In 2007, Thomas reverted to the disappointing play that had previously been the hallmark of his career. This raised concerns that Thomas was a "one year wonder" or a "contract year" player. In particular, comments made by Thomas during the 2007 season where he said he had not thought it necessary to "continue to work to improve" left many Jets fans extremely concerned. Overall, Thomas finished the 2007 season with 2.5 sacks, one pass defended, a forced fumble, and 39 total tackles.

Thomas had a mediocre 2008 season as he collected 5.5 sacks, one pass defended, 2 forced fumbles (1 recovery), and 38 total tackles.

Thomas collected 2 sacks, one pass defended, 2 fumble recoveries, and 41 total tackles. He led the Jets into the playoffs until the team lost in the AFC Championship to the Indianapolis Colts.

In 2010, Thomas changed his jersey number to 58. He collected 6 sacks, one pass defended, a fumble recovery, and 31 total tackles. He led the Jets to the playoffs for the second season in a row but lost the AFC Championship to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Thomas did not play long during the 2011 season as he suffered a torn Achilles tendon on October 2, 2011, which knocked him out for the rest of the season. Overall, he recorded 10 total tackles and one pass defended in 4 games played.

Thomas was released by the Jets on September 22, 2012 after suffering a hamstring injury.[4] Two days later, the Jets re-signed him.[5] Thomas finished the 2012 season with 2.5 sacks, one pass defended, and 18 total tackles. Thomas was released after the season was over.

NFL statistics
YearTeamGPCOMBTOTALASTSACKFFFRFR YDSINTIR YDSAVG IRLNGTDPD
2002NYJ159540.5000000000
2003NYJ164226161.0010000002
2004NYJ144328151.5000000001
2005NYJ163724133.5000000002
2006NYJ167758198.5110000000
2007NYJ16473982.5100000001
2008NYJ165739185.5310000001
2009NYJ165340132.0127000001
2010NYJ16393186.01116000001
2011NYJ4141040.0000000001
2012NYJ12241862.5000000001
Career15744231812433.57600000011

[6]

Personal

His son, Bryan Thomas Jr, plays college football for South Carolina.[7] Also, he was an assistant coach on his son’s high school football team.

References
  1. "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  2. Battista, Judy (April 21, 2002). "Jets Hold Off on Cornerback And Opt for a Defensive End". New York Times.
  3. "Bryan Thomas profile". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  4. Orr, Conor (September 22, 2012). "Jets release veteran OLB Bryan Thomas". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  5. Orr, Conor (September 24, 2012). "Bryan Thomas, re-signed by Jets, said he was upset after being cut". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  6. "Bryan Thomas Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  7. "Bryan Thomas Jr South Carolina Football". Gamecocks Online. University of South Carolina. December 14, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
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