Ambry Thomas' stock was on the rise after his rookie season. He started the five final regular season games, playing a total of 333 defensive snaps and going on to start two playoff contests.
The San Francisco 49ers cornerback played only 41 defensive snaps last season with no starts. By mid-season, he knew something needed to change.
"I would say, for me, after Week 8 last year, I put in my mind right there what I was doing in the offseason," Thomas admitted to reporters on Tuesday. "I had my offseason plan already planned out. I knew when I was leaving, I knew where I was going, I knew who I was training with. So around that time, that's when it kind of clicked in for me."
Thomas had a more structured offseason, working in Dallas with defensive teammate Charvarius Ward and others.
What went wrong last year? What does the cornerback attribute to his reduction in playing time?
"I just felt like, mentally, I wasn't prepared," Thomas said of his sophomore NFL season. "Physically, I wasn't prepared. I kind of felt like it was given to me just because I came off a strong playoff run my rookie year. But this year, anybody's job is up for grabs. That's how I look at it, and that's the mentality I took going into work, starting from OTAs."
The hard work is paying off. Thomas has a lot more confidence heading into his third NFL season.
"I just feel like I'm getting back to who I am," he shared. "Last year, I don't feel like I was me all the way. ... I just didn't feel like me. But now, I feel like I'm back."
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks made a point to name Thomas as one of the positives coming out of Sunday's preseason loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
"Ambry, I thought, did a tremendous job in some of the things that we saw on tape, particularly also during the game, coming up strong on that fourth down play and then having a PBU (pass breakup)," Wilks said.
The cornerback was happy to get back on the football field after not playing much last season.
"For me, it felt good to be back out there," Thomas said. "I feel like I ain't played football in almost a year. So it just felt good to be back out there with my team, getting comfortable with the cause, playing fast."
Despite last season not going how he had hoped, Thomas never felt dejected. He never lost confidence in himself or his ability to make it in the NFL.
"I thought they thought that, but that just made me more mad and just more eager to prove them wrong," Thomas said. "I like proving people wrong. So yeah, that was my mindset, just, let's prove them wrong."
Thomas added, "I'm trying to keep getting better for myself, honestly. I mean, I love proving people wrong, but I know what I'm capable of, and I know what I can do. And I just feel like I'm not all the way there yet, but I'm getting there, and I feel it."