Joe Thomas
LB FA
Sun 1/8/23 8:38 PM

Thomas recorded 14 tackles and recovered a fumble in the Bears' 29-13 loss to the Vikings in Week 18, and ended the season with 62 tackles and a fumble recovery over 15 games played.
EDGE Analysis
Thomas was seeing inconsistent snaps as a backup for most of the season, but after the Bears traded Roquan Smith and then Jack Sanborn suffered a season-ending injury, Thomas took on a starting role and averaged eight tackles down the stretch. Thomas, an eight-year veteran, will likely battle for a depth role as an unrestricted free agent.

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Sun 1/1/23 7:54 PM

Thomas recorded 13 tackles in the Bears' 41-10 loss to the Lions on Sunday.
EDGE Analysis
Since taking over the middle linebacker role after Jack Sanborn was placed on injured reserve, Thomas has at least six tackles in each of his last three games. He should remain a high-floor IDP option in Week 18 against the Vikings.

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Mon 12/26/22 11:33 AM

Thomas registered seven tackles (six solo) in Saturday's 35-13 loss to the Bills.
EDGE Analysis
Thomas has seen his workload increase as the season has gone on and after Jack Sanborn (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Thomas played all 58 of Chicago's defensive snaps in Week 16. Over the last two weeks, the linebacker has produced 13 tackles after he logged just 12 total stops over the previous nine games combined. Thomas will likely operate as the Bears' starting middle linebacker for the remainder of the season.

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Sun 12/18/22 9:25 PM

Thomas recorded a sack and six tackles in the Bears' 25-20 loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
EDGE Analysis
Over the past month, Thomas was playing mostly on special teams, but after Jack Sanborn (ankle) left the game with an injury, Thomas posted his highest tackle total of the season while recording his first sack as a member of the Bears. If Sanborn misses time, Thomas may be a reasonable streaming option in IDP leagues.

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Tue 9/27/22 12:47 PM

The Bears signed Thomas to the active roster from the practice squad Tuesday, Larry Mayer of the team's official site reports.
EDGE Analysis
Thomas joins the active roster because of the placement of Byron Pringle (calf) on IR. He played 46 percent of defensive snaps Week 3 versus Houston in place of Matt Adams (hamstring), racking up five tackles (two solo).

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Mon 9/26/22 8:09 PM

Thomas reverted to the Bears' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
EDGE Analysis
Thomas was elevated to the main roster with Matt Adams (hamstring) inactive for the Bears' 23-20 win over the Texans on Sunday. The former ended up playing 46 percent of the team's defensive snaps, recording five tackles (two solo).

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Wed 8/31/22 6:06 PM

The Bears released Thomas on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
EDGE Analysis
Thomas made the initial 53-man roster but was let go a day later to make room for a wave of waiver claims. The journeyman linebacker has played for four different teams across his seven-year career but hasn't been fantasy relevant since notching 70 tackles in 2016.

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Tue 8/30/22 6:45 PM

Thomas is one of six linebackers on the Bears' 53-man roster, according to the team's official site.
EDGE Analysis
Thomas will be playing on his fifth team in eight NFL seasons, and he has two seasons in which he's posted more than 33 tackles. Since having a strong year with the Packers in 2016, his best fantasy season since was in 2020, when he totaled 48 tackles with the Cowboys. He'll likely go undrafted in many IDP leagues, but if he gets off to a strong start, he'll be worth monitoring on the waiver wire.

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Tue 3/1/22 5:43 PM

Thomas signed a contract with the Bears on Tuesday, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.
EDGE Analysis
Thomas appeared in seven games between Baltimore and Houston during the 2021 campaign and totaled 13 tackles (nine solo) while primarily playing special teams. He'll likely need a strong showing in training camp to earn a spot on the season-opening roster.

Joe Thomas
LB FA
Tue 10/19/21 12:38 PM

Baltimore signed Thomas to the practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.
EDGE Analysis
Thomas suited up for five games with the Texans this season before being released by the team. He will now get a chance to compete for a role in Baltimore, where it wouldn't be surprising to see him bump to the 53-man roster in the future.