The Arizona Cardinals made a head-scratching move on Friday, releasing linebacker Xavier Thomas just ahead of their Week 13 road trip to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Xavier Thomas was a surprise absentee from practice on Friday, and the reason became clear when the team officially announced his release. No corresponding move was immediately made, adding another layer of mystery to the transaction.

This cut is particularly jarring, given the high praise Head Coach Jonathan Gannon had for Thomas just a short time ago. “What I’m most proud of him is he’s taken steps every week to be a better pro (and learn) what that looks like,” Gannon said previously. “He’s learning what he has to do with his five buckets, how he has to prepare, and how he has to practice. He’s doing a good job.”

Why Did the Cardinals Release Xavier Thomas?

The Cardinals’ linebacker room has suddenly become a crowded house. The roster move appears to be a classic numbers game. Baron Browning is set to return after clearing the league’s concussion protocol, and BJ Ojulari has made a successful comeback from a significant knee injury.

With established players like Josh Sweat, Zaven Collins, and Jordan Burch also commanding snaps, someone had to be the odd man out. Unfortunately for the second-year pro, that someone was Xavier Thomas.

Despite showing flashes of potential, particularly during preseason action, Thomas struggled to carve out a consistent role on defense this season. Xavier Thomas played a mere 15 defensive snaps through 12 weeks, failing to record a single defensive statistic. This is a sharp drop-off from his rookie campaign, where he appeared in 14 games and logged 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed.

What This Move Says About Arizona’s Pass Rush

Releasing a recent mid-round draft pick signals a few things. First, the front office has confidence in the players returning from injury. The healthy return of Browning and Ojulari likely made Thomas expendable in their eyes.

Second, it underscores the team’s ongoing struggle to generate a consistent pass rush. As a whole, the unit has been underwhelming. The Cardinals have tallied just 22 sacks this season, a number that puts them in the bottom third of the league. The pressure has come almost exclusively from two veterans: Josh Sweat leads the team with nine sacks, and defensive end Calais Campbell has chipped in with 5.5.

The absence of rookie defensive lineman Walter Nolen III, who has been ruled out for Week 13, further complicates the pass-rushing puzzle. Cutting a young edge rusher, even one with limited production, seems counterintuitive for a team desperate for quarterback pressure. It suggests the coaching staff felt Thomas wasn’t developing at the required pace and that they’d rather open the roster spot for future flexibility.

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