Cardinals sign Mike Thomas, according to report

After being released by the Lions, Thomas landed in Arizona.

By Mark Sandritter Aug 20, 2013, 5:54pm EDT

The Arizona Cardinals added some wide receiver depth on Tuesday, signing Mike Thomas one day after he was released by the Detroit Lions, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

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Thomas excelled as a slot receiver earlier in his career, but his production diminished over the last two seasons. He caught 18 passes for 108 yards last season, spending time with Detroit and Jacksonville. The 5'8 Thomas set career-highs in 2010 when he caught 66 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns for the Jaguars.

Jacksonville traded Thomas to Detroit last season and he appeared in nine games for the Lions, catching five passes for 28 yards. Thomas was buried on the depth chart during training camp, often running with the second- or third-team. The Lions released him on Monday, despite trading a fifth-round pick to Jacksonville less than a year before and owing Thomas $1 million in guaranteed salary.

Now in Arizona, Thomas will get an opportunity to make the Cardinals active roster. He'll likely compete with Kerry Taylor and Jaron Brown for a roster spot behind Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts. The move to Arizona is a bit of a homecoming for Thomas who played college football at the University of Arizona. During his Wildcat career, Thomas set the Pac-12 record for career receptions with 259.