The San Francisco 49ers are inching toward August 30 — the deadline for NFL teams to cut down to 53-man rosters — by shedding players.
“49ers waived injured Xavier Thomas,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account.
Thomas, 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, was a 5th-round pick (No. 138 overall) by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was waived by the Cardinals late in the 2025 season. Thomas spent the rest of the season and this offseason on the Houston Texans practice squad, and the Texans waived him on July 6.
The 49ers signed Thomas on August 12.
“San Francisco waived/injured DL Xavier Thomas … as roster decisions continue to get closer,” NFL reporter T2 wrote on their official X account. “Every move matters now. The 53-man picture is getting tighter by the day.”
Xavier Thomas Helped Clemson Win Last CFP Title
Thomas broke onto the scene in big-time college football in 2018 when he earned Freshman All-American honors with 43 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, and 2 pass deflections in helping lead Clemson to a College Football Playoff national championship.
Thomas wound up playing 6 seasons for Clemson, although that included only 5 games in 2020 due to the pandemic and only 3 games in 2022 due to multiple foot surgeries — neither of which prevented him from running the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds at Clemson’s Pro Day.
NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein correctly predicted Thomas would be a 5th-round pick.
“Edge defender who plays with good technique and unwavering energy,” Zierlein wrote in his 2024 pre-draft evaluation. “Thomas will get widened out at the point of attack or knocked out of his gap by power, but his first-step quickness gives him the ability to disrupt from the back side or when playing in the gaps. Thomas is a one-speed rusher who prefers to attack up and around the arc, but he needs to add relevant counters to go with it. He has the effort and hand usage to keep getting better as a rusher and could find an NFL home as an eventual starter or designated pass rusher in a 3-4 defense.”
49ers Dealing With Edge Rusher Issues
The 49ers are dealing with a lot of uncertainty at edge rusher — both of their projected starters are coming off ACL tears suffered in the 2025 regular season. Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa tore his ACL early in the year, and 2025 1st-round pick Mykel Williams tore his late in the season.
Neither player’s status for the regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, has been confirmed.
San Francisco 49ers Part Ways With 6-foot-2, 250-Pound Edge Rusher