The Cincinnati Bengals swiped a division rival’s player during the waiver wire and practice squad process this past week.
There, the Bengals added defensive end Isaiah Thomas, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, to the practice squad.
Thomas, a seventh-rounder in 2022 by the Browns, appeared in 10 games as a rookie and recorded a sack over 162 snaps. At 6’5″ and 270 pounds with good length, he looks like an every-down player the coaches would like to develop.
Considering Thomas came over from the Browns, which is annually one of the league’s deepest depth charts on the edge, there’s perhaps more there for the Bengals to develop than most signings of this nature.
And for Thomas and his reps, the Bengals surely made for an interesting opportunity with former first-rounder Myles Murphy going to injured reserve and a sixth-rounder, Cedric Johnson, making the final roster as a result.
With Sam Hubbard getting up there in age (29), the recent Trey Hendrickson contract drama and Joseph Ossai on the last year of his current deal, these are the types of low-key signings that could pay off big for the team at a later date.
That it came at the expense of an in-state and division rival like the Browns is something that will move the needle with fans, too.
