Jacob Thomas has gone from under-the-radar camp body to one of the more intriguing names in Vikings camp, and he’s done it by stacking one solid day after another.
The undrafted safety from James Madison hasn’t had the flashiest camp storyline in Minneapolis. Rookie cornerback Chuck Demmings grabbed attention early with his physical pass breakups and confident edge.
Second-year receiver Tai Felton kept popping with explosive plays. Rusher Demond Claiborne showed off his speed in the run game.
There was no shortage of names making noise.
Thomas just kept showing up.
That steady work has started to matter more, especially with Jamal Adams’ season ending in injury. What had been a strong camp has now turned into something bigger for Thomas, and he backed it up again Saturday in the Vikings’ game against the Ravens, even in a loss.
He followed up his strong preseason opener against the Giants, where he recorded an interception, with another productive outing against Baltimore. Thomas tied LB Jacob Roberts for the team lead with six tackles, added a pass break-up, nearly came away with another interception and earned an 84.6 Pro Football Focus grade, according to thorku. He also delivered a hard-hit moment that had people talking.
Jacob Thomas laid the BOOM. pic.twitter.com/YoQx5dmYta
Those preseason numbers are only part of the story. Thomas has been turning heads because the production has matched what he’s already been doing every day in practice.
For an undrafted rookie, the path is never easy. Thomas entered camp facing that reality, but after three weeks he was getting first-team reps against Lamar Jackson during joint practice with the Ravens. For a 22-year-old, that’s a pretty serious NFL test.
He handled it. Then he carried that over into Saturday’s game against Baltimore’s backups. Brian Flores clearly has seen enough to keep giving him opportunities.
And the Vikings need that kind of emergence in the safety room. Harrison Smith’s plans and whereabouts remain a mystery, and Adams was brought in after initially signing as a linebacker with the idea that he could help stabilize things if the "Hitman" decided to hang it up. Instead, Adams’ devastating quad injury against the Giants added another layer of uncertainty.
Thomas stepping in this quickly and looking comfortable with the first-team defense might surprise some people, but it fits the track record. He walked on at JMU and eventually became a key piece of that defense.
He should get another chance to make his case Friday against the Broncos. If this run keeps going, Thomas could find himself on the field plenty on Sept. 13 against the Packers.
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Vikings Roster Crunch Could Turn Unexpected Bubble Names Into Trade Chips
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With the team needing to get to 53 players, any trade talk around that group is less about blockbuster moves than about value management. A player who might not make the final roster could still have enough recent performance, contract control, or positional appeal to bring something back before the Vikings have to make the hard call, and that is what makes this deadline worth watching from Minnesotas side. [Read more 🡒]