We’re squarely in the middle of a training camp and one of the biggest scenarios for the Dallas Cowboys is a player who was released by the Baltimore Ravens. Yes, it’s true that the safety of veterans Earl Thomas is again a free agent.
Obviously, it’s harder than considering his footballing skills for a team to sign him. It’s clear that the Cowboys have some sort of history (that’s what we’ll call him) with Thomas and therefore are a logical destination for him in the minds of many. Yet, nothing official has happened yet.
Tuesday was an important but strange day for this story. When it looked like Jerry Jones was about to announce something about Thomas during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Cowboys weren’t interested in Thomas. Jerry bluntly denied that Rapoport knew anything. So what gives then?
This situation could come down to the price more than anything
It’s rare for players like Thomas to be available this time of year, although the Cowboys just signed someone of this caliber two weeks ago from Everson Griffen. If you’re only talking about football, it’s really wild that Thomas is still in the market.
Of course, the situation is not limited to what he contributes on Sunday. The Ravens are a reputable franchise and knowingly released him while absorbing a financial impact. So what is going on here? On the last episode of the Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast, NFL insider Charles Robinson has explained the situation a little. According to him, this situation could be a question of price and it would perhaps be necessary for Thomas to have a record at the Star.
“The one thing about Dallas that struck me when Dallas started talking about it. I know Jerry came out pretty hard today and said no one knew if besides me this stuff. I found it interesting Mike McCarthy recently, and he’s done it a few times in the offseason, he talked about the locker room and the importance of the locker room, chemistry. I know that part of his interview with Dallas spoke, I was told, a key part of the Green Bay experience, of what he had learned about dealing with different personalities, of the importance of changing rooms, of all those different things. I think these are factors.
“A member of the organization told me that Jerry is absolutely going to look into Mike McCarthy’s desire, to have the locker room environment he wants. And remember Mike McCarthy, extremely close to John Schneider who is the general manager of the Seattle Seahawks, I think he wanted John to be the general manager of the Packers when Ted Thompson resigned. So he will know everything he needs to know about Earl Thomas. But and I’ll throw this at you.
“It always comes to my mind and it creeps into every player who signs when you talk to the folks about the Dallas organization. Greg Hardy was a player who, and I’m not saying Earl Thomas is Greg Hardy, but he’s an example of players, a player that the members of the organization disagreed with 100%. There were some people in the organization who didn’t want to call on Greg Hardy. I will name one now. Jason Garrett was never a fan of Greg Hardy.
“Jerry came out and it was really Jerry’s decision. I’m going to sign this guy, I’m going to structure the deal so that it’s basically play pay, get paid. That sort of thing. Maybe not everyone in the organization needs to agree with Earl Thomas, where he’s from or what the red flags are. And I think especially not everyone will agree if the price is cheap enough. I think the price will impact it. “
Let me clear it up and stress again that Robinson does not have compare Earl Thomas to Greg Hardy. He used Hardy as an example of a player that the Cowboys brass disagreed with 100% and it looks like that could be the case with Thomas these days, and not just in Dallas, but all over the world. league.
Obviously, a team will need to be prepared to face the current status quo with Thomas. His talent makes this pill easier to swallow, just like a contract friendly. If Thomas’ price drops over time, it’s possible that an NFL team (maybe the Cowboys) is more willing to take him.
Maybe that’s why Jerry Jones kept Earl Thomas’ door open. Or maybe Jerry just wants to stay in the news. Either way, this story isn’t quite over, but is anything ever quite over when it comes to the Cowboys?
