Duke Thomas (American football)

Orlando "Duke" Thomas (born May 21, 1994) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns.

Duke Thomas
No. 34
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1994-05-21) May 21, 1994
Middletown, Connecticut, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school:Copperas Cove
(Copperas Cove, Texas)
College:Texas
Undrafted:2016
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

Duke Thomas was born in Middletown, Connecticut on May 21, 1994.[1] Thomas started playing football at the age of 9. He moved to Louisiana and then moved to Texas at the age of 10. He was a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and a member of the inaugural Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team .

College career

As a freshman, Thomas played as a reserve cornerback and on special teams in all 13 games for the Texas Longhorns. He tied for second on the team with 8 tackles. He put up two tackles against New Mexico and one special teams tackle against West Virginia. Thomas recorded a season-best three tackles against Baylor.

During Thomas' sophomore season he played in all 13 games with 10 starts. He started the first six games at cornerback and had a team best three interceptions while playing against Oklahoma State, Baylor and Oregon. During the Alamo Bowl in 2013 Thomas recorded three tackles and one kickoff return for 21 yards against Oregon.

In Thomas' junior year he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 and led the team with 10 pass breakups and tied for second with three interceptions. He tied for eighth in the Big 12 in passes defended (1.0 per game) and tied for 15th in the Big 12 in interceptions (0.2 per game). Thomas set career-high 53 tackles while posting a tackle and a quarterback pressure against North Texas.

Thomas finished his college career strong earning Honorable mention All-Big 12 and second-team Academic All-Big 12 selections. He started all 12 games and finished third on the team in tackles with 58, and second in with five breakups. He also tied for the most tackles for loss among defensive backs (3). Thomas had at least three tackles in every game, and at least four in seven contests. Thomas wore jersey number 28 against Kansas in honor of Freddie Steinmark while totaling four tackles, one interception and a return of 29 yards at Baylor. He was named the team’s co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Professional career

Houston Texans

Thomas went undrafted during the 2016 NFL Draft and signed with the Houston Texans as a college free agent on May 5, 2016. He was waived on August 30, 2016

Philadelphia Eagles

On October 11, 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Thomas to their practice squad.[2] He was released on October 21, 2016.

San Francisco 49ers

On December 20, 2016, Thomas was signed to the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad.

Dallas Cowboys

On January 16, 2017, Thomas signed a futures contract with the Dallas Cowboys. He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2017.

On September 1, 2018, Thomas was waived by the Cowboys.[3][4]

Toronto Argonauts (CFL)

On October 17, 2018, Thomas was signed to the Toronto Argonauts' practice squad. He was released on November 3, 2018.

San Antonio Commanders (AAF)

In December 2018, Thomas signed with the San Antonio Commanders of the AAF.[5] Thomas made 22 tackles, defended 4 passes, and caught one interception before the league shut down.[6]

Minnesota Vikings

On April 5, 2019, Thomas signed with the Minnesota Vikings.[7] He was waived on August 31, 2019.[8]

Arizona Cardinals

On December 18, 2019, Thomas was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.[9] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on December 30, 2019.[10] He was waived on August 23, 2020.[11]

Buffalo Bills

On January 1, 2021, Thomas was signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad.[12] On January 23, 2021, Thomas was released by the Bills.[13]

References
  1. "Duke Thomas". NFL.com. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  2. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/eagles-sign-cb-duke-thomas-to-practice-squad
  3. Helman, David (September 1, 2018). "Bailey Not Only Surprise Cut As Cowboys Trim To 53". DallasCowboys.com.
  4. "Rookie CB Duke Thomas a dark horse to make Cowboys' final roster".
  5. "Additions to Commanders roster: Dec. 7, 2018". 210 Football. December 7, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  6. "Duke Thomas".
  7. Smith, Eric (April 5, 2019). "Vikings Sign CB Duke Thomas and S Derron Smith". Vikings.com.
  8. "Vikings Announce Roster Moves, Set Initial 53-Man Roster". Vikings.com. August 31, 2019.
  9. Urban, Darren (December 18, 2019). "Tanner Vallejo, Kevin Peterson Placed On Injured Reserve". AZCardinals.com.
  10. Urban, Darren (December 30, 2019). "Cardinals Sign Seven To "Future" Contracts". AZCardinals.com.
  11. Urban, Darren (August 23, 2020). "Cardinals Sign Another Cornerback, Adding Dre Kirkpatrick". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  12. "Bills activate John Brown from Reserve/COVID-19 list + announce these other moves". BuffaloBills.com. January 1, 2021.
  13. "Bills elevate WR Kenny Stills and CB Dane Jackson from practice squad | AFC Championship game". Buffalo Bills Official Website. January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
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