49ers training camp: 5 players who are losing their depth chart battles
By Peter Panacy
49ers training camp faller No. 4: CB Ambry Thomas
Partially because of all the offseason moves San Francisco made at the position, second-year cornerback Ambry Thomas was going to have a difficult time emerging as a starter in 2022 after showing some noticeable improvement late his rookie season.
That should have been a good development, though, especially if Thomas rode that momentum into a strong training camp, showing why he deserved to at least be a primary backup behind presumed starters, Charvarius Ward and Emmanuel Moseley.
However, Thomas has mostly struggled throughout training camp, and it’s been his fellow 2021 NFL draftee, Deommodore Lenoir, who has received the bulk of second-team reps despite being drafted two rounds later.
That trend continued through last Sunday’s practices, too.
With Emmanuel Moseley not participating today, it was actually Deommodore Lenoir first up to replace him with top defense and not Ambry Thomas. Thomas stayed with second unit. Not necessarily an indicator of anything but interesting given where the pair ended last season.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) August 7, 2022
At the moment, Lenoir appears to be well ahead of Thomas on the depth chart. And considering the 49ers aren’t likely to keep more than six cornerbacks, it’s not hard to see why Thomas is in danger of missing out.
For now, the Niners’ regular-season crop might look like Ward, Moseley, Lenoir, Samuel Womack, Darqueze Dennard and Dontae Johnson with Thomas on the outside, looking in.