Cimini spoke with Bryan Thomas and discussed the veteran linebacker's attempt to return from a serious injury.

"The organization has been wonderful," Thomas said last week during an open locker room. "For them to re-sign me in this situation, I was truly grateful. They could've said, 'Go.'"

Thomas said he was so down after the injury that it took him a few weeks before he started showing up to the locker room. As he said, "I didn't want the rest of the team to see me down ... That was a difficult time, really, really tough."

I think this coaching staff has blind spots for certain players they really like. Thomas is one of them. He was never a great starting outside linebacker to begin with. Now he is coming off a serious injury. Yes, he was decent at setting the edge, but the team made him out to be Jarret Johnson. I never thought his run defense was elite. It just stood out because of how little he brought as a pass rusher.

The bottom line is he is a great guy to have around as a backup. It seems like he will continue to be a starter, which is not something I believe anybody would have viewed as ideal at the start of the offseason.