Xavier Thomas may have been a fabulous player for the Clemson Tigers, but he is running out of opportunities to prove himself at the NFL level. The former fifth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2024 NFL Draft has been placed on the injured reserve list after being waived by the San Francisco 49ers. Thomas had only signed with the 49ers 10 days prior to seeing his season come to an end.
#49ers waived injured Xavier Thomas
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 23, 2026
This is unfortunate for the soon-to-be 27-year-old. Thomas spent six years in college. His first year at Clemson came during the Tigers' most recent national title run in 2018. Thomas now joins his former Clemson defensive line teammate Bryan Bresee as out for the season. While Thomas left Clemson as a two-time all-conference performer, he might have seen his NFL dreams shrivel up before his eyes.
Thomas spent all of the 2024 NFL season on the Cardinals before being waived by them on Nov. 28, 2025. The Houston Texans signed him five days later to their practice squad. After being extended a reserve/futures contract on Jan. 20, he was released by the Texans a few months later on May 13. As was the case in San Francisco, Thomas was let go by his former employer with an injury designation.
Xavier Thomas needs to pick up the pieces after being released by 49ers
For as strong a player as he was at Clemson, the NFL is simply a different beast. The league does not care that he had 121 combined tackles for 17.5 sacks over 61 career games. Thomas' ability to wreak havoc in the backfield helped him get drafted, but his injury-prone nature has his NFL career hanging in the balance. Being let go by three teams in as many years is a tough situation to be in.
The most painful part about this is that Thomas' six years at Clemson could be held against him. Even more so, the fact that he never played in more than 12 games in any of his final five seasons at Clemson shows a tough medical track record. It does seem as though most NFL medical staffs are not fully comfortable with clearing him. Again, he was in and out of San Francisco in less than two weeks.
For now, we may have to appreciate all that Thomas did on the Clemson football field more than ever. While he was blessed to actually play in 18 NFL games over his first two years in the league, he is not guaranteed to get another snap professionally. The worst part about all this is the 49ers have designated him waived/injured reserve. This means he cannot play at all for anyone this season (unless he reaches an injury settlement).
As far as what his football future may hold, that remains to be seen. It is a sport of regulated violence. Given that he has played in the trenches throughout most of his college and professional career, it has certainly taken a toll on his body over the last nine years. Maybe there could be opportunities in Canada or in the UFL for Thomas? Unfortunately, it does seem as though his NFL career may be over.
Thomas being tossed to the wayside shows how tough it is to have any real staying power in the NFL.
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