Grading the Cincinnati Bengals free agent signings from Day 4
What grade does the Mike Thomas signing deserve?
This is one of those deals that absolutely flies under the radar and for good reason. Mike Thomas isn’t a superstar like the Michael Thomas in New Orleans who plays the same position. He’s never been a guy that is the face of the offense but teams need depth pieces and Thomas is just that.
Thomas has spent the past two years in Cincinnati and has just 184 yards during that time. He was a bigger part of the offense in 2020, grabbing 13 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown compared to just the five catches for 52 yards that he had in 2021.
Part of this is that the Bengals added Ja’Marr Chase last offseason and he essentially eliminated any chance of Thomas being more of a weapon for Joe Burrow and company. Thomas was never going to be anything more than a WR4 and with Chase’s addition, that bumped Auden Tate back to WR4 and Thomas even further down the depth chart.
WR Mike Thomas returns to #Bengals. One year.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) March 17, 2022
Done a nice job when asked to play special teams, as well. And then can just show up out of nowhere catching a key 17-yard pass in the Super Bowl.
Still assume there will be WR depth (with PR ability) addressed in the draft.
Even with Thomas not being a key playmaker, I still like the team’s decision to re-sign him. He’s not going to set the world on fire with his play but he’s familiar with the offense and can step in if need be.
At the same time, the team could have drafted someone with maybe more upside but hey, wide receiver isn’t a major position of need, so why not bring back guys familiar with the system?
Mike Thomas grade: B