New York Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas has missed the last two seasons after twice tearing the ACL in his right knee. Add in a third tear of the ACL during his college career at USC and just getting back on the field will be a major accomplishment for Thomas.
One move the Giants are considering to help increase the possibility Thomas can return to form as an effective NFL player is to convert him to a safety. According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Giants general manager Jerry Reese has entertained the idea of moving Thomas to safety to better utilize his skills while trying to limit the strain on Thomas’ thrice repaired right knee.
Thomas has played safety before with the Giants as a nickel defender. Making the move to safety full-time is something Thomas was already planning for later in his career.
“Your knee is in a more unstable situation [at cornerback],’’ Thomas said. “You have to react to the receiver. Safety is more you’re dictating. So I think that’s why Jerry Reese said that. But I already knew I’d switch to safety later in my career just because of my body type, the way I play. So I’m not scared at all.
Thomas has yet to participate in any football work for the Giants since injuring his knee in training camp last year. Thomas had put together two very strong seasons for New York before the injuries took away his last two seasons. He started 31 of 32 games from 2009-2010. He compiled 186 tackles, 10 interceptions, five forced fumbles and two sacks over that span.