Jacob Thomas’s Outlook Is Skyrocketing as Vikings Prepare for Preseason Finale

The undrafted safety is making his case for serious playing time in the regular season

Jacob Thomas's performance over the weekend shouldn't be ignored by the Vikings when deciding the initial 53-man roster this week. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Ask any regular attendee of the 2026 Vikings camp who stood out most, and you’ll find a variance in answers.

Rookie cornerback Chuck Demmings stole the show early with his physical pass-breakups and confident persona. Second-year wideout Tai Felton had explosive plays in the passing game on a near-daily basis. Rusher Demond Claiborne flashed blazing speed in the running game. Talent and storylines were easy to find wherever you looked.

But one name largely stayed under the radar while piecing together an incredibly consistent camp: Jacob Thomas.

The undrafted safety out of James Madison did the little things daily to make positive impacts and impress coaches, and with a season ending in injury to Jamal Adams, those stacked days started to carry more weight. Despite picking up the loss, Saturday’s game against the Ravens was no different. 

Embracing the spotlight 

After an impressive first preseason game against the Giants that included an interception, Thomas put together another strong showing this past weekend against the Ravens. He tied LB Jacob Roberts for the team lead in tackles with six, posted an 84.6 Pro Football Focus grade (h/t thorku), a pass break-up and almost brought in another interception. He also proved to be an absolute missile on the field (h/t VikingsFanPage).

Jacob Thomas laid the BOOM. pic.twitter.com/YoQx5dmYta

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 22, 2026

Thomas's impressive performances in the team’s two preseason games are rightfully turning heads, but they’re simply a carryover from what he’s been putting together daily in practice. 

The odds are stacked against any undrafted rookie entering training camp; there’s a reason, after all, that we celebrate those who end up having successful careers. Thomas is no different, entering camp with a massive challenge ahead of him, but after three weeks of camp, he found himself taking first-team reps against Lamar Jackson in joint practice against the Ravens. Quite the NFL welcome for the 22-year-old.

The best part? He held his own and carried that over into the game on Saturday against the Ravens’ backups.  Defensive coordinator Brian Flores clearly sees something special in the young defensive back.

Seizing opportunity 

The Vikings need Thomas and others in the room to step up in a major way.

The safety position is one of the bigger question marks heading into 2026 as Harrison Smith’s plans and whereabouts seem to be a total mystery. The addition of Adams to the room after he initially signed as a linebacker signaled optimism that the team would be okay if the "Hitman" decided to hang it up, but his devastating quad injury against the Giants raised further doubt. 

Thomas’s ability to immediately step up and naturally fit in with the first-team defense may come as a surprise to some, but this isn’t the first time he’s had the odds stacked against him after walking on at JMU before becoming a key staple of their defense. 

Jacob Thomas is capitalizing on most opportunities that the Jets are putting in front of him. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thomas will likely have the chance to prove himself further this Friday against the Broncos, and if he continues to play at a high level, he could see the field often on Sept. 13 against the Packers. 

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