Tavierre Thomas (born March 11, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Ferris State Bulldogs The Ferris State Bulldogs (FSU Bulldogs) are the athletic teams that represent Ferris State University, located in Big Rapids, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Bulldogs compete as members of the Great Lake ...

Early life

Thomas was born and grew up in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and attended Detroit Allen Academy. As a senior, Thomas received recruiting interest from Iowa, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan but was not offered a scholarship by any Division I program due to a low ACT score despite graduating high school with a 3.8 grade point average. Thomas ultimately decided to enroll at

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1884 as Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge N. Ferris and became a public institution in 1950. ...

on an academic scholarship.

College career

Thomas played four seasons with the

, initially joining the team as a walk-on. Although he initially intended to

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

his freshman season and then transfer to a Division I program after meeting academic standards, Thomas eventually opted to play the final five games of the season after an injury to one of the team's starting

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

s. Thomas was named one of the Bulldogs' starting

s going into his sophomore year and recorded 48 tackles with three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. In his junior season, he intercepted a career-high six passes with 15 passes defensed in 15 starts was named first-team All-

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The GLIAC was founded in June 1972. Its eleven member ...

(GLIAC) and first-team Division II

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, as well as third-team Little All-America by the

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. As a senior, Thomas was again named first-team all-GLIAC and Division II All-America as well as the GLIAC Defensive Back of the Year after recording 60 tackles, four interceptions and had a career-high 18 passes defensed. Thomas finished his collegiate career with 175 total tackles, 14 interceptions and 35 passes defensed.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

Thomas was signed by the

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 ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on April 30, 2018, and waived by the team on September 1.

Cleveland Browns

On September 2, 2018, Thomas was claimed off waivers by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. Thomas made his NFL debut on September 9, 2018, during the Browns season opener against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. During the Browns' Week 7 loss to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, Thomas downed a punt by

Britton Colquitt Britton Douglas Colquitt (born March 20, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football Punter (gridiron football), punter in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafte ...

inside the Buccaneers one-yard line, setting up a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

by Browns

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

Trevon Coley. As a rookie Thomas played in 13 games, mostly on special teams, and tied for the team lead with seven special teams tackles (eight overall). Thomas played in all 16 of the Browns' games in 2019 with nine tackles and a fumble recovery and also returned ten kickoffs for 204 yards. He blocked a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...

attempt against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

on October 7, 2019. In Week 1 of the 2020 season against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, Thomas recorded his first career sack on

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman T ...

during the 38–6 loss.

Houston Texans

Thomas signed a two-year contract with the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

on March 22, 2021. He entered the 2021 season fourth on the Texans cornerback depth chart. In Week 16, Thomas had eight tackles, a pass deflection, and a game-sealing 48-yard pick-six in a 41-29 upset win over the Chargers, earning

American Football Conference The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The AFC and its counterpart, the National Football Conference ...

Defensive Player of the Week. On September 1, 2022, Thomas was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. He was activated on November 3. Thomas re-signed with the Texans on March 17, 2023.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 18, 2024, Thomas signed with the

Minnesota Vikings

On March 12, 2025, Thomas signed with the

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bioFerris State Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Tavierre 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Detroit American football cornerbacks Ferris State Bulldogs football players Arizona Cardinals players Cleveland Browns players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Minnesota Vikings players