The Bears have signed a defensive back!
The Bears are signing undrafted free agent A.J. Thomas after he was a tryout player this weekend, Aaron Wilson of profootballnetwork.com reports.
Thomas played safety most of his career at Western Michigan before switching to linebacker last season. The Bears are playing him at defensive back.
Thomas, 23 played a total of 44 games at Western Michigan University. He totalled 150 tackles including 16,5 for a loss. He also has 3 sacks and two interceptions.
In 2020, he started all six games, four at safety and two at cornerback. He played 421 defensive snaps on the year, made 46 tackles, second on the team, as well as a team-best 9.0 tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception. Thomas recorded an interception in the opener at Akron, had a sack in consecutive games against Toledo and Central Michigan and made a season-best 12 tackles against Northern Illinois.
He also earned a lot of playing time on special teams, which will no doubt increase his value in the eyes of the Bears coaching staff. What will be interesting is where they plan to play him. He has the potential to play either linebacker or safety. Keep in mind he ran a 4.60 in the 40-yard dash at his pro day. That would be considered on the slow side for a safety, but pretty fast for a linebacker
The Detroit native is listed at 6' 2", 220 lbs.
