The 49ers officially parted ways with cornerback Ambry Thomas on Tuesday, waiving the 2021 third-round draft pick who worked his way into the starting lineup as a rookie.
Thomas sustained a fractured forearm in the 49ers’ preseason opener and was placed on injured reserve at the start of the season. He has been cleared to play but the 49ers did not have a spot open for him on the team’s 53-man roster.
Thomas now is available for any team through the NFL’s waiver system.
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Thomas, 25, appeared in 42 games with 11 starts over his three seasons with the 49ers. He earned the starting job as a rookie over Deommodore Lenoir and started five regular-season games and two playoff contests.
Thomas' overtime interception of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford clinched a playoff spot for the 49ers in the final game of the 2021 regular season.
Thomas ended his first season on a high note but he admitted to being unprepared for Year 2.
"I felt the (2021) season ended up pretty well for me," Thomas told NBC Sports Bay Area in August 2023. "But going into last season, I didn’t set myself up good. I kind of felt like it was going to be given to me because I started in the playoffs and played good ball toward the end. I feel like I let up a little bit.
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"I felt like I had it figured out."
Thomas played better in 2023 but was benched in the playoffs as he repeatedly surrendered big plays. He played only one snap of defense and seven plays on special teams in the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In other roster moves on Tuesday, the 49ers signed offensive lineman Austen Pleasants and linebacker Chandler Wooten to the practice squad.
Pleasants entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Ohio with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He has spent time on the practice squads of five other teams. He appeared in one regular-season game apiece with Carolina (2021) and the Los Angeles Chargers (2023).
Wooten was signed to provide depth at linebacker after the 49ers suspended veteran De’Vondre Campbell for the remainder of the season. Wooten (Auburn) entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals. He has appeared in 20 games over the past three seasons with Carolina.
The 49ers placed undrafted rookie tight end Mason Pline on the practice squad injured reserve list.
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