Former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Mike Thomas has signed a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, per the NFL’s transaction wire.
The Rams originally selected Thomas in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Southern Mississippi. In 40 career games with the team (one start), he had 10 receptions for 144 yards.
Most of Thomas’ impact came on special teams as a gunner on kickoff and punt teams. He also returned a handful of kicks, averaging 19.5 yards per return.
The Rams’ roster has undergone a ton of turnover this offseason, but their receiving corps from the last few seasons remains intact. Barring a trade of Brandin Cooks, he will again be one of the team’s top three receivers in 2020 along with Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Josh Reynolds is also still around to provide insurance in case of injury.
That didn’t leave much room for Thomas, so although he is a player that displayed some talent in his time with the Rams, he never got a true opportunity to prove himself as a receiver.
It remains to be seen if he will get that opportunity with the Bengals, be he will be reuniting with a familiar face in head coach Zac Taylor, who served as an assistant wide receivers coach for the Rams in 2017 and quarterbacks coach in 2018.
The Bengals may have been the worst team in the league in 2019, but they actually have a solid receiving corps with A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, John Ross and Auden Tate all under contract in 2020. That will make things tough for Thomas, who likely will continue mainly being a special teams player in Cincinnati.
