49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Defensive lineman Cedric Thornton
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers picked up veteran defensive lineman Cedric Thornton in 2018, only to see him retire shortly thereafter. Now back, what does his future hold entering 2019?
Defensive lineman Cedric Thornton certainly had an interesting start to his career with the San Francisco 49ers.
Thornton, who signed with the Niners in July of 2018, retired the following month and missed the entire season. Then, in April of 2019, Thornton came out of retirement and was added back to San Francisco’s 90-man roster.
Interesting enough, although it’s impossible to totally gauge Thornton’s motivations on retirement.
Either way, the 49ers picked up a versatile lineman capable of playing multiple positions along the offensive line.
| Game | Game | Def | Fumb | Fumb | Fumb | Fumb | Fumb | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | PD | FF | Fmb | FR | Yds | TD | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sfty |
| 2012 | 24 | PHI | 72 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 2 | |||
| 2013 | 25 | PHI | DE | 72 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 60 | 48 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | 26 | PHI | DE | 72 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 1 | 1.0 | 52 | 36 | 16 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 27 | PHI | DE | 72 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 1.0 | 33 | 17 | 16 | 4 | 3 | ||||||
| 2016 | 28 | DAL | 92 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.5 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2017 | 29 | BUF | rdt | 91 | 15 | 3 | 2.0 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | |||||||
| Care | Care | 89 | 48 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 1 | 7.5 | 221 | 150 | 71 | 29 | 15 | 1 | |||
| 4 yr | 4 yr | PHI | 61 | 45 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 40 | 1 | 4.0 | 172 | 120 | 52 | 20 | 7 | 1 | ||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | BUF | 15 | 3 | 2.0 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | DAL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.5 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 4 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/11/2019.
Thornton’s experience and versatility is valuable. And he even served as a three-year starter with the Philadelphia Eagles, which is a bonus.
But with an awfully crowded 49ers defensive line, does he actually have a chance to find a spot on the 53-man roster this season?
Why Cedric Thornton Improves in 2019
Thornton is 31 years old, so it’s likely his best playing days are behind him. But considering the year off, there’s always the chance the added rest winds up doing him some good.
Teams have featured Thornton in both inside and outside roles, which is useful. And while Thornton has never been a pass-rushing specialist, he did have a solid reputation as a run stopper with the Eagles.
That’s useful in a run-heavy NFC West.
Why Cedric Thornton Regresses
The same age and retirement factors potentially serving Thornton’s benefit also could be a detriment.
The falloff from high levels of production to being out of the league is steep, and Thornton could already be there. His time spent with the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t particularly great, and he lost that edge as a quality run stuffer.
And those players aren’t exactly highly valued commodities in today’s pass-happy NFL anyway.
Chances of Making the 49ers’ 53-Man Roster in 2019
San Francisco already has five former first-round NFL Draft picks in position to start along the defensive line this season. That means Thornton is competing for the deepest of depth spots, namely with players like Ronald Blair, Jullian Taylor, Kentavius Street and Sheldon Day.
Thornton will have to outperform two or three of those players in camp, and by a large margin.
All four of those players are considerably younger than Thornton, and each still has plenty of room to grow at the NFL level. From an investment standpoint, the Niners would be wise to relegate Thornton merely to being a camp body.
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He’ll likely wind up seeing some time in the preseason, perhaps starting the fourth and final game. And there’s always the chance another D-line-needy team is watching.
Perhaps Thornton winds up elsewhere after the 49ers make him part of post-preseason roster cuts.