Cleveland Browns: Is Carl Nassib in danger of being cut?
By Joel W. Cade
The Chad Thomas project
Chad Thomas is the definition of a boom or bust prospect. He is a player who relies on his athleticism. He has enough athletic traits to make it in the NFL. But up to this point, he has failed to develop the techniques necessary to compete at the NFL level.
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By taking Thomas with the No. 3 pick of the third round, the Browns are taking a chance that they can develop his skill set to match his athletic ability. There is no guarantee that this development will take place over the course of minicamp and training camp to put him in a position to contribute year one.
Yet, his athleticism would not be something the Browns would want to lose either. Thomas has the potential to be a solid starter or high end back up/pass rusher in the NFL. It would be a risk to cut him and place him on the practice squad. Another team may have the room to stash a player like Thomas on the active roster.
The Browns are taking a gamble this training camp that they can develop Thomas’ skills as a defender to justify keeping him on the roster or risk losing him to another team. Cutting a third round pick is almost unheard of in Browns land. So, Thomas will probably make the roster as a developmental project who many not be active on game days.