Colts safety Rodney Thomas II has been a feature of their secondary since he was drafted out of Yale in 2022.
Thomas had a strong rookie season. Despite the Colts going 4-12-1, his individual campaign was promising as he recorded 52 tackles and four interceptions, both career highs.
But Thomas is starting to fall out of favor in Indianapolis. After starting 15 games in 2023, Thomas made just a single start in 2024, logging only seven total tackles.
Gus Bradley, the defensive coordinator who played a role in Thomas coming to Indianapolis in the first place, is no longer with the team, either. Lou Anarumo has his own preferences of player types, as shown by the plethora of additions the Colts made to their secondary this offseason.
The obvious moves of signing Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward show a clear intent to upgrade that area of the roster, but the under-the-radar selection of Hunter Wohler could send Thomas looking for a new team in 2025.
Wohler, a seventh-round pick out of Wisconsin, has thrived in training camp both at linebacker and at safety. In a joint practice with the Ravens ahead of their preseason bout Thursday night, Wohler came up with not one, but two interceptions, a testament to his improvement as a coverage defender since arriving in the spring.
Thomas vs. Wohler is definitely not a competition with many eyes on it, but with Wohler having more success in Anarumo’s scheme, Thomas is under pressure to retain the roster spot he’s held onto for three seasons.
If there is a silver lining for Thomas, it’s that Wohler is more of a box defender while the fourth-year man is a free safety type. Plus, Anarumo’s defense deploys more defensive backs than most schemes.
So, Thomas may still have a role with the Colts, but he’s equally in danger of missing the final cut.