The Atlanta Falcons announced on Mar. 12 the signing of free agent defensive end Cameron Thomas.
Thomas, who was drafted in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals in 2022, spent the last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. During his time in Cleveland, he played under Kevin Stefanski, who is now the head coach of the Falcons. Thomas said he is eager to continue working with Stefanski. “He’s a coach that you can just hear when he talks, he believes in everything he says,” Thomas said. “It’s really easy as a player to buy in to his beliefs in his program.”
Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 265 pounds, Thomas brings size and strength to Atlanta’s defensive line. In his first full season with the Browns in 2025, he recorded 2.5 sacks along with career highs of 28 tackles and seven quarterback hits. Over four years in the NFL, Thomas has appeared in 58 games with three starts and has totaled 79 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, eleven tackles for loss, two pass defenses, and one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
As a college prospect from San Diego State University, Thomas was recognized for his versatility—a quality valued by both Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and Stefanski. “We want to be versatile in what we do defensively,” Stefanski explained. “We want to have the ability to jump into different looks… So we’re always looking for versatility and that’s our job.” He added that Ulbrich did well last season at maximizing players’ talents.
Thomas joins an Atlanta defense that finished second in league sacks during the previous season—one spot ahead of Cleveland—and will work under Ulbrich and defensive line coach Nate Ollie. “Ulbrich’s got respect amongst the league. Being a former player and now a coach, he can understand what a lot of players go through and what he asks,” Thomas said.
The Falcons compete in the National Football League’s NFC South division according to their official website. The team began as an expansion franchise in 1965 according to their official website and is based in Atlanta, Georgia according to their official website. The franchise advanced to the Super Bowl twice—in 1998 and again in 2016 according to their official website. Freddie the Falcon serves as its mascot according to their official website.
The NFL’s new league year began Wednesday at 4 p.m., allowing teams like Atlanta to officially sign free agents such as Thomas.
