A former Clemson defender has been cut loose by an NFL team.
The San Francisco 49ers have released defensive lineman Xavier Thomas with an injury settlement.
This move comes after the 49ers reverted Thomas to injured reserve Monday after he cleared waivers.
Sunday at 6 p.m. marks the NFL’s cutdown deadline, where teams have to reduce their rosters from 90 to 53 players.
Thomas had signed a one-year deal with the 49ers on Aug. 12.
Prior to signing with San Francisco, Thomas spent time on the Houston Texans’ practice squad and was later waived with an injury designation this past May. Last November, the Arizona Cardinals released Thomas, who was selected by Arizona in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 138th overall pick.
The now 26-year-old didn’t record a defensive statistic last season while appearing in four games for Arizona. He played 15 total defensive snaps and 42 special teams snaps across those four contests.
As a rookie for the Cardinals in 2024, the 6-foot-2, 250-pounder posted 10 total tackles, two tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a pass defended over 14 games.
Thomas made an immediate impact as a reserve at Clemson in 2018, earning near-unanimous freshman All-American acclaim. A two-time All-ACC selection in 2019 and 2021 and a 2018 national champion, he was credited with 133 tackles (34 for loss), nine pass breakups, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over 61 games (30 starts) in his career as a Tiger from 2018-23.
A former five-star recruit and top-five national prospect, Thomas racked up a team-high 21 quarterback pressures to go with 28 tackles (four for loss), three sacks, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery over 12 games (11 starts) in 2023. He exited Clemson as one of nine players in school history to play in 60 career games at Clemson.