Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a three-part series looking at former Duke football players in the NFL. Yesterday, Matt Levenberg wrote about Eron Riley. Today, Scott Rich looks at Thad Lewis, and Alex Young covers Vincent Rey Friday.
Thad Lewis is not used to sitting on the bench.
The former Duke quarterback started all but two games in his career in Durham and amassed 48 school records, including most career yards, passing touchdowns and completions. Under new head coach David Cutcliffe, Lewis took the Blue Devils to nine victories in his final two seasons, a marked improvement for a program that had won just eight games in the previous five years.
Still, though, he found himself without a home after his senior season, in the football purgatory known as “undrafted free agency.”
But a year and a half later, Lewis has carved out a role in the NFL, now a backup quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. And while he’s still adjusting to not starting every week, he’s thankful to have a job doing what he loves.
“I have to stay prepared because at any given time my number can be called, so I have to approach the game like I’m a starter,” Lewis said. “I try not to step on anybody’s toes. I try not to be more than what I am, but at the same time I need to prepare like a starter because you never know when you’ll have to step in and play.”
After going undrafted in 2009, Lewis was initially signed by the St. Louis Rams. He quickly established that he was more than the typical undrafted rookie, completing 5-of-6 passes for 46 yards in his first preseason action. He proceeded to be one of the more surprising quarterback prospects in the entire preseason, finishing 22-for-28 for 255 yards in limited action.
Lewis knew that he had to take advantage of early opportunities, especially given the minimal media attention he received despite his accomplishments at Duke.
“If I had gone to any other school I would’ve been drafted because of the things I did at Duke,” Lewis said. “Honestly it makes me work that much harder because I worked hard in college to get drafted, but a lot of people didn’t evaluate me because I went to Duke. But there are other people from Division-II schools, NAIA schools that got drafted, so I can’t use that as an excuse. I just have to try to make a name for myself every day.”
Lewis’ preseason performance earned him a spot on the Rams’ roster entering the season, though it was short-lived. Lewis suited up in Week 1, but due to early injuries at cornerback, the Rams cut him to free up room for an extra defensive back.
Relegated to the St. Louis practice squad, Lewis would have to wait another year for a chance to make his mark. He posted impressive numbers once again in the 2011 preseason, finishing 23-for-32 for 266 yards and throwing no interceptions in four games.
His performance incited increased speculation that the former Blue Devil would earn the Rams’ reserve quarterback role behind former No. 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford. In a move that surprised many, though, St. Louis instead chose veteran A.J. Feeley to back up Bradford and waived Lewis to free up a roster spot.
But Lewis’ impressive performances had finally caught the league’s eye, and Cleveland quickly scooped him up and signed him to be their third quarterback.
Finally, it seemed, Lewis had made a name for himself.
“It’s been crazy. At the end of the day you can’t worry about things you can’t control, and I couldn’t control that decision,” Lewis said of being waived. “It came as a shock, but it happened so fast, because the next day the Cleveland Browns called and I had to pack up and get on a flight to Cleveland.”
Lewis remains on the Browns’ active roster and is quietly waiting for his chance behind prized young quarterback Colt McCoy and veteran backup Seneca Wallace. And while adjusting to his new role has been a challenge, both Lewis and his coaches foresee a bright future for the former Blue Devil.
“Coaches have told me that they feel like I can be a starter in this league,” Lewis said. “It’s kind of hard because as an undrafted free agent you have to wait a couple years to get your opportunity. It may take me a little longer than a guy who got drafted because there’s not as much invested in me. They feel like they can just let me develop. Until I get my opportunity I have to continue to grind and stay hungry.”
Pat Shurmur, now Cleveland’s head coach and formerly St. Louis’ offensive coordinator, has seen Lewis develop for the past two seasons and likes what he sees.
“He came to St. Louis as an undrafted free agent and then he actually did a terrific job.... I worked with him a year ago and then I watched him in the preseason. He executed and played well,” Shurmur told The Cleveland Plain Dealer one day after Lewis was acquired. “He is a guy that we will try to develop and get him ready to play.”
Despite his success breaking into the professional ranks, Lewis maintains his close relationship with the program that gave him his start. He said that he talks to Cutcliffe and former teammates every week and keeps up with as many Duke games as possible on ESPN3.com.
And even though playing in the relative obscurity of Wallace Wade Stadium might have cost him a spot in the NFL Draft, Lewis looks back fondly on the nurturing environment the Blue Devils fostered—especially compared with the more businesslike atmosphere of the professional ranks.
“At Duke we’re very family-oriented,” Lewis said. “Once a Dukie, always a Dukie.”
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