Joshua Terrell Thomas (born November 19, 1996) is an American professional

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. He was signed by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

as an

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in 2020 following his

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career at Appalachian State.

Early life

Thomas was born in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

and attended The Montgomery Academy where he was a two-time All-State player in football, a four-timer in basketball and became the city's all-time leading boys basketball scorer.

College career

As a senior, Thomas recorded a career-high 72 tackles along with 2.0 tackles for loss, one fumble return for 37 yards and one interception return for a 16-yard touchdown. He was a two-time team captain and started 30 of 56 games.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Thomas signed with the

as an

following the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

on May 8, 2020. He was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the team's

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on October 31 and November 14 for the team's weeks 8 and 10 games against the

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and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was placed on the practice squad/

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list by the team on December 28, 2020, and restored to the practice squad four days later. On January 26, 2021, Thomas signed a reserves/futures contract with the Bills. On August 31, 2021, Thomas was waived by the Bills and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. After the Bills were eliminated in the Divisional Round of the 2021 playoffs, he signed a reserve/future contract on January 24, 2022. He was waived on August 29, 2022.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 1, 2022, Thomas was signed to the

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2023. He was released on June 14, 2023.

Carolina Panthers

On June 15, 2023, Thomas was claimed off waivers by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. He was waived on August 26, 2023.

References

External links

Appalachian State Mountaineers football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Josh 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Montgomery, Alabama American football safeties Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Buffalo Bills players Arizona Cardinals players Carolina Panthers players 21st-century American sportsmen