Getty Earl Thomas celebrates a big play in Seattle.
Coincidentally or not, the Dallas Cowboys restructuring left tackle Tyron Smith aligned with the Baltimore Ravens releasing safety Earl Thomas. The two moves may go hand in hand.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cowboys are “square in play” for, and the “leading contender” to sign, the three-time first-team All-Pro, whom Baltimore cut Sunday.
Among the best defensive backs of this generation, Thomas was an impactful addition to the Ravens in 2019, his age-30 campaign during which he tallied 30 solo tackles, four pass breakups, two interceptions, and two sacks across 15 games.
Then the off-field trouble started.
TMZ reported in May that Thomas was held at gunpoint by his wife after she discovered his alleged infidelity. He released a statement via Instagram shortly after the report surfaced.
“So my agent just hit me and said that I’m going to be on TMZ tomorrow from an altercation that happened with me and Nina … So I just wanted to get ahead of it. I mean, it’s really not anybody’s business. It’s pissing me off that it got out but it’s the world we live in today. Instead of talking about it, just keep us in y’all’s prayers. Stuff like this happens, bro. We try to live the best lives we possibly can but sometimes it don’t go as planned. Just pray for us as we go through this stuff. We’ve back talking. I’m seeing my kids so just keep us in your prayers.”
Then the on-field trouble started.
Thomas was sent home by the Ravens following his training camp skirmish with teammate Chuck Clark. The organization’s Leadership Council purportedly “made it clear” they prefer him not around the building.
Attached to his release is a conduct detrimental clause which enables Baltimore to recoup Thomas’ $10 million in guaranteed money. A grievance hearing is expected to take place, though no resolution is likely until 2021, per Schefter.
In the interim, Thomas — a 2010 first-round pick of the Seahawks who’s totaled 72 career PBUs, 30 INTs, and 11 forced fumbles, and who remains a playmaker — is free to sign elsewhere. The Texans and 49ers are rumored as potential landing spots, with Dallas the frontrunner.
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Fit in Dallas
When they weren’t fawning over Jamal Adams, the Cowboys have repeatedly thrown their hat in the ring for Thomas. In 2018, the club proposed a trade to Seattle prior to Thomas’ season-ending injury and last year explored his acquisition before he inked a four-year, $55 million free-agent deal with the Ravens — a deal Dallas wasn’t matching. The interest has been mutual, however.
“Please, the Cowboys, come get me.”
-Earl Thomas on December 24,2017
The current defense, on paper, is set at the safety spots with Xavier Woods and offseason arrival Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Waiting in the wings are dependable veteran Darian Thompson and hyped sophomore Donovan Wilson, who’s popped at training camp.
You could argue the Cowboys don’t need Thomas. But they didn’t need Everson Griffen, either. What Jerry Jones wants, Jerry Jones usually gets, and if he feels Thomas would further entrench the franchise as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, the Texas alumnus should wait for his phone to ring. Soon.
Jones, if indirectly, cleared the required salary cap space for Thomas’ would-be rostering. He freed $3.25 million by waiving injured defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and roughly $6.6 million by converting Smith’s 2020 base salary into a signing bonus.
The Cowboys have $14.846 million in available cap room as of this writing.
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Cowboys ‘Leading Contender’ to Add 7x Pro Bowl Safety: Report