It’s been a crazy week, and truly a few crazy years, for now free agent Earl Thomas.
After his informal outings from the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens over the past year, the talented Thomas finds himself without a team – and with major questions about other clubs who might consider adding a talented player who has been dropped by two Super Bowls. contenders.
Thomas, 31, can clearly play, even though he’s not quite the same player he was a few years ago. What the other 30 league scouting staff are now wondering is why two strong teams – those who are a bit more liberal when it comes to dealing with character issues – would want Thomas to leave. ?
That and if Thomas’s signing was worth it.
That’s the biggest problem with where he’s going to end up, and we can’t rule out the idea that Thomas might have to wait a bit for a job offer to arrive… or maybe he won’t. won’t even play this season.
That said, Thomas is a pretty gifted player where some teams might be willing to roll the dice for the right price. Here are five clubs that we think could be the most in the mix for his services:
Where will Earl Thomas end up? (Nick Cammett / Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Are they really on Thomas? Many knowledgeable journalists are now saying this is the case.
There was certainly a lot of coverage from team owner Jerry Jones about this when asked about Thomas in Dallas, and head coach Mike McCarthy’s comments on Monday certainly seemed to pour in. cold water on the idea.
For now, it feels like Dallas is timidly on the outside. But the franchise owner could certainly change that dynamic, and Thomas has stated his strong desire to play for his hometown team, so we’re not closing that door at all.
The pro-Thomas reasons here are clear.
The secondary is suddenly a mess, and they have tons of salary cap space to add a big name player if they want to. The Browns have just lost talented safety rookie Grant Delpit for the season to an Achilles injury, which seems to leave Andrew Sendejo, Karl Joseph and Sheldrick Redwine as the best safety options. Thomas represents an improvement in talents compared to this group.
But the anti-Thomas arguments are also fairly obvious.
The Browns’ locker room chemistry was a trash fire last season, and while there is a new coaching staff out there, it has to be wondered if the team wants to add a top player who has just come from. ‘being kicked out of a Super Bowl candidate for disciplinary reasons. . Battles between Receivers and Thomas could be fun in theory, or maybe a nightmare in reality.
Would Thomas like to join one of the Ravens’ divisional rivals and have the opportunity to stick them twice this season? It’s certainly possible, and his knowledge of the Ravens’ attack could give Cleveland some sort of edge. But the Browns need to be careful playing with fire after their 2019 Tinder-box season.
The Richard Sherman connection probably helps things for Thomas, giving him a powerful ally and a supporting voice in the locker room. The 49ers could use a little help in the secondary as well, though it’s not like they’re private there with Jimmie Ward, Jaquiski Tartt and Tarvarius Moore in tow.
The team added Johnathan Cyprien this offseason, but recent reports suggest he could be on the sidelines so Thomas would definitely be an improvement over him. And with K’Waun Williams battling a calf injury, the nickel position is open for now; Ward can move inside to this location if needed, potentially opening up a deep point of safety.
On the surface, it’s easy to see the connections here, especially with Robert Saleh calling on the defense which was essentially built from the Seattle system where Thomas became a star. And yes, memories of that haunting third and 15th Super Bowl game hang over the team’s heads for now.
But then there are the lingering questions about the characters, and the 49ers don’t want to upset the team chemistry that helped them fall over a title precipice six months ago. Jerry Rice, for his part, says his former team needs to proceed with extreme caution on this one.
Houston Texans
There are a myriad of reports of Houston’s level of interest in Thomas, with some saying it likely won’t happen and others saying the door may be left slightly ajar.
If you recall a year ago, the Texans were a team that was heavily mentioned as contenders for Thomas’s services. They needed security and quarterback Deshaun Watson (with whom Thomas shares an agent) reportedly implored head coach Bill O’Brien to consider signing him.
football still. Later, Thomas pivoted and signed with the Ravens — and they helped hold the Texans to seven points last November, tied for the fewest ever scored in a game Watson started. " data-reactid="62">But Thomas also later said his conversation with O’Brien didn’t go as planned, with the head coach wondering if Thomas even wanted to keep playing football. Thomas later pivoted and signed with the Ravens – and they helped keep the Texans seven points last November, tied for the fewest goals ever scored in a game that Watson started.
Could Houston revisit the idea? Maybe, but employing Thomas and promising center-back Justin Reid could be a bit of an overlap. However, this secondary could use reinforcements. We’re a little ambivalent about this potential adjustment.
New England Patriots
At first it seemed like a bad choice to us. Even with Patrick Chung retiring this season, the Patriots secondary remains in good shape, we think, with a veteran core in place and top rookie Kyle Dugger making a good first impression. Adding a player with character concerns – with some veteran leaders not making the Patriots roster this year – also seemed risky to us.
Never rely on Bill Belichick when it comes to potentially adding a talented veteran to his roster. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
But that wouldn’t be the most amazing landing point, the more you think about it. They never really replaced Duron Harmon’s role on defense, which is really where Thomas’ strength lies as a midfield sniper. It should be noted that Bill Belichick has praised Thomas in the past.
NFL, and that could help take the burden off an offense in transition." data-reactid="78">And adding it could allow the team to trade one of their secondary assets (maybe 2019 second round Joejuan Williams?) For help elsewhere if they wanted to. A secondary with Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty and Thomas would surely be one of the toughest to face in the NFL, and it could help ease the burden of an offense in transition.
It would be vintage Belichick to dive in the middle of all the chaos surrounding Thomas and catch him. Thomas could also have a chance to redeem himself against his two former teams, with New England heading to Seattle in Week 2 and facing the Ravens in prime time at Foxborough in Week 10.
I can’t rule out this landing point, especially if more teams keep moving backwards. Belichick has bet on talented players with character issues before, so it’s certainly possible again.
