LAS VEGAS -- One of the great changes the 49ers made this season was reinstalling Ambry Thomas as a starter coming out of their Bye week.
It is a move that initially was viewed as questionable. Thomas wasn't having much success before the Bye week. But the 49ers were trying to find answers as to how they could solidify their secondary at the time. The defense wasn't doing so well going into the Bye, so the coaches determined that the best move was to reinstall Thomas as a starter.
And boy, did their trust in Thomas pay off. He showed how much he had grown in a matter of weeks in his return start against the Jaguars out of the Bye week. That game would set the standard for how he would look the rest of the way. The player who used to be a liability was no more. For the 49ers to make that move means they had some serious trust in him. I got to ask defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks about that trust.
"The trust was earned in the offseason," said Bullocks. "We gave him a plan, he stuck with it, he kept his weight on, he had a great OTA and minicamp. And then he carried it over into the summer and went to training camp. He had a good training camp, so he had all the confidence he needed. We had all the confidence in him. We knew he could do it, but it's just a matter of when he's going to get that opportunity to do it.
"When the season came around we started off with Oliver and Demo outside. And then we made the switch, so it was an easy transition for us because of our trust in Ambry Thomas. He had been putting in that work. I see him on a day-to-day basis. And it wasn't like he had been out for a couple of weeks, and we threw him out there. He had been doing it even when he was out of the game and getting no reps in practice, so I've been seeing it."
Thomas has allowed the 49ers' defense to be the best version of themselves. Deommodore Lenoir gets to play the slot, which is an upgrade over Isaiah Oliver. That wouldn't have been possible if Thomas wasn't playing at an impressive level. He is growing before our very eyes and the 49ers' defense is thriving because of it.
"I think for Ambry Thomas, this is his third year. He was a third-round draft pick. Sometimes the lightbulb goes off in a player, and sometimes it might be sooner than later. Some guys' lightbulbs click in their head where they get it and they're playing and starting off their rookie year at a high level. For Ambry, the process started out good. He ended up playing in the NFC championship game, and in his second year it didn't go as well as he wanted.
"Guys were kind of down on him and then coming into his third year he knew what was at stake. It was do or die for him, so he worked his butt off and earned that right to get that opportunity to go out there and play. And when he did get that opportunity, he went out there and took advantage of it, so it didn't surprise me that the more reps he got the better he got."
As sturdy as Thomas has been since the Jaguars game, he still has his moments where the old version of him shows up. Look no further than against the Packers in the divisional playoff round. It was a poor outing for Thomas, which ended up causing concern with him going into the NFC championship against the Lions.
However, Thomas ended up reverting back to his sturdy 2023 version. The old Thomas would've let those bad reps get to him, and I think that is what has clicked for him as well. Thomas has a stronger mental fortitude now that he doesn't let one bad game snowball. It is a crucial trait for a cornerback to have and that is why the 49ers have all the trust in the world in him.
"You're going to get beat. I don't care what position you're at on defense. You're going to get beat at some point. It's about how you're going to respond. Are you mentally strong? And what's your bounce back? I give my credit to him. It was an easy transition for us to put him outside."
More must-reads: