"I have no problem brining in Chris Thompson, a guy like that, off the bench and brining him out there," Gruden said in February at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "He's a great pass protector, a great route runner; he has great value in the National Football League."

"This year he made it clear to me on multiple occasions that he had a lot of confidence in me this year and even when it came to protections, he never worried about my guy sacking him or anything," Thompson said in January. "It meant everything to me to be in a situation where Kirk trust me a lot in the pass and run game and protection, everything. That's what you want to hear from your quarterback and it takes time to build that. And I'm hoping in the near future, I will be right here along with Kirk for years to come."