GIANTS SIGN SAFETY MICHAEL THOMAS
Michael Eisen
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants today continued to add pieces to their new-look defense when they signed safety Michael Thomas, who played the previous five seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
He is the seventh defensive player to join the team in the last two weeks. The others were linebackers Alec Ogletree and Kareem Martin; defensive backs Teddy Williams, Curtis Riley and B.W. Webb; and defensive tackle Josh Mauro.
Thomas’ position coach for his entire tenure in Miami was Lou Anarumo, who is the Giants’ new defensive backs coach.
Thomas has played in 56 regular-season games with 25 starts. His career totals include 136 tackles (100 solo), one interception, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He has also had 51 special teams tackles.
Thomas started the only postseason game he played, a 2016 AFC Wild Card Game at Pittsburgh, where he intercepted a Ben Roethlisberger pass and recorded six tackles (three solo).
In 2017, Thomas played in 13 games with two starts and finished with 16 tackles (nine solo), plus seven special teams tackles.
Thomas entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with San Francisco in 2012. He spent that entire season and most of 2013 on the 49ers’ practice squad. Thomas was signed by Miami off San Francisco’s practice squad on Dec. 10, 2013. He made his NFL debut five days later and made such an impression he was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Thomas saw extensive playing time in the fourth quarter following injuries to cornerbacks Nolan Carroll and Brent Grimes. With the Dolphins protecting a 24-20 lead against the New England Patriots, Thomas broke up Tom Brady’s first-down pass in the end zone. Seven seconds remained when the Patriots faced a fourth-and-five on Miami’s 14-yard line. Brady threw into the end zone for Austin Collie, but Thomas intercepted the pass to preserve Miami’s 24-20 victory.
Thomas played in all 16 games in 2015 and 2016, and started a career-high 13 in the first of those seasons.
At Stanford, Thomas played in 51 games with 24 starts and recorded career totals of 189 tackles, 30 passes defensed, 12.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 2.5 sacks.
Thomas played at Nimitz High School in Houston.