LA Rams WR Thomas to sign with Bengals via NFL Free Agency

The Cincinnati Bengals are reported to be signing former LA Rams Free Agent WR Mike Thomas to a one-year deal

The LA Rams did not have a treasure chest of available 2020 salary cap dollars to spend. But the team did have a solid crop of talented players. One such player is wide receiver Mike Thomas, who tested the 2020 NFL Free Agency market. He must have passed since NFLDiamonds.com is reporting that Thomas will sign a one-year contract to play for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Wide receiver Mike Thomas will not be seen by many as a significant loss for the Rams.  And they will likely be correct.  But it is one more familiar face, one more contributor, one more player who has donned the LA Rams jersey who must now seek an opportunity elsewhere.

Thomas has been an LA Rams special teams contributor for the most part. And for most of his NFL career.  He arrived at the team as a sixth-round pick from the 2016 NFL Draft.  At 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, he has the right length and body-build to fill a role in either special teams or as a pass receiver.

As long as the Bengals can keep him on the field. He served a four-game suspension in 2017 for violating the NFL’s rules of using a prohibited substance.  In 2018, he was on injured reserve for the entire season.

In our free agent analysis, we did highlight the fact that he flashed some potential in 2016 and 2017. But after his injury, he was no longer part of the team’s offense.

We did not expect the Rams to make an effort to retain Thomas. The team has plenty of receivers and has added consistently since drafting Thomas in 2016. He’ll likely continue to contribute to special teams as a Bengals, although he could see some time as a rotational WR3 or WR4.