Cameron Thomas

It's not quite like the Steelers defensive line where you're worried about everybody to a significant degree.

But it's kind of like just a step down from that, where you're worried about everyone to a less significant, but you're still worried about everyone, from Gervon Dexter to Brandon Dorlis to Cameron Thomas, who's having a great year for them.

They get James Pierce back this week.

But like you talked about earlier, even without them, They've been getting pressure from pretty much everyone.

Smith, let me tell you something.

Kendall Daniels and Xavier Wise and C.J. Henderson and Harold Perkins Jr. and Jesse Bates and Mason Smith and the Carolina and Zach Harrison and Cameron Thomas and Javon Dexter and Josh Woods and Drake.

There is no – because, Smith, this is what I've been trying to tell you, man.

There is misery, and there is big and popular fan misery.

Ultimately, he's going to be a big, big piece of this defense.

Cameron Thomas was great.

He's somebody that can have a future on this defense.

Zedaria Smith was phenomenal.

But like when they do get healthy, hopefully, um, you know, I mean, week nine with James Pierce jr's return is obviously going to be a big turning point potentially for the pass rush, but yeah, It's just nice to see that this thing isn't falling apart and that a lot of these cheap deals and veteran additions that they brought in have really worked out.

I mean, we talked about it earlier this year, but Cameron Thomas has been a really nice addition, a great pressure generator.

Jervon Dexter for a fifth-round pick looks like an absolute steal.

Falcons turned around and I think paid him well.

He was going to be a high price free agent.

And as Treshawn said, like the more he kept kicking butt, the higher that price was going to go.

But like, you know, I'm not worried about Cameron Thomas getting 15 sacks this year.

I think the world of Cameron Thomas, but I'm not worried about, oh, he's going to price himself out of Atlanta at this point in time.

We're excited to see what Jalen Walker is going to do next year.

We're hoping to bring back Cameron Thomas after the season.

But, you know, and Samson Evie Kim is bald this year and Big Z is bald this year.

But you want to have another, you know, young edge rusher in the pipeline at the very least, uh, just so that you don't have to go out there and sign a big Z, you know, next summer, if, you know, someone were to get injured or anything like that, um, you know, center is another position of need someone to potentially push or replace Ryan news at that spot, a young tight end to, to, to groom and develop behind Kyle pits, uh, you know, linebacker depth, even though we're excited to see the emergence of, you know, Kendall Daniels and Harold Perkins, as we discussed on the most recent episode, you kind of need a third linebacker, especially if you're going to move off of Divine Diablo this offseason.

I think we're all... aware that that is coming.

But if you can take care of the cheaper positions with day three picks and these sort of small signings that they've been really, really outstanding at, and we didn't even talk about all the other guys that are playing great on this defense for not Not much money, right? I mean, Cameron Thomas has 11 quarterback hits in a part-time role.

You mentioned Zedaria Smith.

He missed two games, and he still leads the team in sacks and, again, is matching Jalen Phillips' stat line, essentially, at this point.

And I think them hitting on all of these really modest bets and coming out on the other side looking like they look, it's a credit to everyone, the staff, but also the guys who were tasked with putting this thing together.

And I don't think he was as big in this game, but Cameron Thomas signing for nothing.

Kendall Daniels, who we just talked about, I know that's a draft pick, not a signing, but that's somebody you pick up for basically nothing.

What they have gotten in terms of ROI for all of their moves this offseason was pretty incredible, given that I feel like a lot of us thought that this was supposed to be like, we'll reset a little bit and see what we get from Michael Penick's season.

How have they been able to get that pressure? And what has Jeff Ulbrich's defense taken from Raheem Morris and what has changed since last year.

Cause you see the, the names you see, you know, I mean, they brought in Gervin Dexter with that trade with the bears, but Mason Smith and Cameron Thomas and Brandon Dorless and, you know, an older Zedarius Smith, Samson Abelcom who's, who's been around the league, Jared Ivy.

I remember being big on Jared Ivy when he was coming into the draft and it was kind of shocked that he went undrafted.

But yeah, What is this? How are they getting the

sort of languished in Jacksonville for two years, but now he's looking like the guy that was deserving of being a second-round pick a couple of years ago.

And, you know, Brandon Dorlis is looking great.

Cameron Thomas is balling.

You know, he was just a run defender in Cleveland, and now all of a sudden he's been this high-level pressure player.

Gervon Dexter and Brandon Dorlis and this kind of cast of guys they've brought in there are all playing well.

They've gotten great play out of like Cameron Thomas on the edge, and we mentioned Samson Ebukamins and Darius Smith.

So if those guys are healthy and playing, you know, the Falcons have really put together a surprisingly effective pass rush with really like cast-offs from other teams here.

And that is something that could be a factor.