Solomon Thomas manifested playing for the Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys went into a completely different era from a coaching staff standpoint after parting ways with Mike McCarthy. Defensively, they’ll be led by Matt Eberflus in 2025 and beyond, and he didn’t waste time filling out his staff in January. One of the key hires was defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, who spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and San Francisco 49ers before spending the last four years with the New York Jets.
Dallas came into the offseason also needing more help on their defensive line. They haven’t made any big moves outside the building, but one that brings some intrigue is veteran defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. Unlike a lot of their signings in free agency, the Cowboys gave Thomas a two-year deal.
Thomas graduated from Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. He imagined himself playing for the Cowboys one day, and now, that’s a reality. The former first-round pick spent the last three years with the Jets, meaning he played under the aforementioned Whitecotton. So, he’s extremely familiar with what Whitecotton wants to accomplish and how he wants to attack. In fact, Thomas spoke on his desire to be in Dallas and how the hiring of Whitecotton made it even stronger, per Jon Machota.
When I saw Coach Whitecotton signed with Dallas, I was super excited because I was like, ‘Dang, this may be a chance for me to play at home, to play under Whitecotton another year, and to make everything aligned.’ I was manifesting it right away when I saw that happen. I was like, ‘I want to be a Dallas Cowboy. I want to come home. I don’t want to have to move any more. This is where I want to play. This is where I want to win.’
Coach Whitecotton is a coach I want to play for. I’ve played my best football under him. He instills confidence in me. He brings the best out of me. He’s a guy who lets his players play the way they need to play to play their best football. It’s what I wanted. By the grace of God it worked out and I’m just super happy to be here.
Thomas is living out a dream now that he’s in Dallas, and that certainly will be a motivating factor for him to produce on the field. Speaking of that, Thomas brings with him a diverse skill set. He’s very versatile, and he will provide help for the Cowboys on the edge as well as the interior. Thomas was a part of a Jets defense that over the last three seasons finished in the top 10 in both pressure rate and sacks. During his time with the Jets, Thomas racked up 50 pressures per Pro Football Focus. Also, he amassed nine sacks and 16 quarterback hits. Over his career, Thomas has accumulated 18.5 sacks. That means basically half have come while he’s been coached by Whitecotton, including a career-high five in 2023.
Whitecotton was also a big reason guys like Quinnen Williams, Bryce Huff, John Franklin-Myers, and Jermaine Johnson developed. So, the hope is that Thomas can continue the type of success he’s had under Whitecotton and give key Cowboys defenders on both the interior and the edge get some breathers as a rotational piece. The scheme that will be run by Eberflus is very familiar to Whitecotton and how he was taught, which will be key in helping Thomas come right in and get adapted quickly.
The expectation isn’t for Thomas to come in and set the world on fire. He just needs to be solid, and seeing as he’s played his best football under Whitecotton, there’s a good chance of that happening.
