Through pursed lips, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged the team is looking into free agent safety Earl Thomas.
“I have nothing really to report,” McCarthy told the media Monday, via Sports Illustrated.
McCarthy stopped short of providing further details, adding only that he’s discussed Thomas with personnel boss Will McClay. He’s also “very confident” in Dallas’ current 80-man roster.
SI’s Mike Fisher reports the front office has yet to make a decision on Thomas, who was released by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Fisher learned that owner/general manager Jerry Jones and vice president Stephen Jones are involved in the 31-year-old’s background check, the results of which likely will determine whether he dons silver and blue this season.
“The decision is not an easy one,” Fisher notes.
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ICYMI
Among the best defensive backs of this generation, Thomas was an impactful addition to the Ravens in 2019, 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.
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, and he was subsequently cut.
“I think the most important question you need to ask,” McCarthy said, via Fisher, “is, ‘How does a player fit into the locker room?”’
Thomas — a 2010 first-round pick of the Seahawks who’s totaled 72 career PBUs, 30 INTs, and 11 forced fumbles — is free to immediately sign elsewhere. The Texans and 49ers are rumored as potential landing spots, with Dallas the frontrunner.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday the Cowboys are “square in play” for, the “leading contender” to land, the seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro.
Shared Intrigue
When they weren’t fawning over fellow playmaking safety 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
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.
“Well, just as we didn’t talk about Everson until it was done, we found that works much better for us,” Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Monday.
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Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Updates Interest in Former All-Pro S Earl Thomas