Dallas Cowboys should just say no to Earl Thomas

Despite a decade long desire to shore up the safety position, the Dallas Cowboys should pass on Earl Thomas.

If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. That axiom could not be more appropriate with the current football climate surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.

This organization has made so many right moves since the calendar turned to 2020. Ending the decade long marriage with former head coach Jason Garrett. Hiring a head coach with a championship pedigree. Bringing in solid veteran leadership with gas left in the tank such as Andy Dalton, Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Drafting CeeDee Lamb.

It has literally been an offseason full of hits. Now, what looks to be a very hittable off-speed pitch is being thrown at the Dallas Cowboys.

The conventional wisdom appears to be to destroy the pitch and put this offseason into the stratosphere. The truth is that the Dallas Cowboys should take the pitch because it’s not a hanging curve, it’s an unhittable sinker.

On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens outright released seven-time All-Star and five-time All-Pro safety Earl Thomas. After giving Thomas a four-year, $55 million free-agent deal in 2019, it took just one year for Thomas to wear out his welcome with one of the league’s most steady franchises.

Is Thomas still a great player? Maybe. He did earn a Pro Bowl bid in 2019, although his numbers were the worst of his ten-year career. Is he worth whatever money he thinks he’s worth or the inevitable headache he will bring along with him? Absolutely not.

Look, we all know that the Dallas Cowboys have needed a stud safety for almost two decades. Ever since Darren Woodson retired in 2004, the safety position has been a problem for this team. The easy math says to finally rectify that and bring home the native Texan.

Unfortunately, easy and correct are not one and the same. The fact is that Thomas has been a disgruntled annoyance wherever he has been over the past 2-3 years.

After being one of the faces of the Seattle Seahawks franchise, his exodus from the team began late in 2017. In an absolutely surreal moment, after a win, ironically against the Dallas Cowboys, Thomas begged then head coach Garrett to “come get him.” Not a good look.

Thomas became increasingly frustrated by the lack of a long-term deal heading into the 2018 season. He chose to let that play out by holding out the entire 2018 training camp. After just four games, Thomas broke his leg against the Arizona Cardinals ending his season. As he was carted off, he gave one last send off to the only team he ever knew. Another bad look.

After signing the mega-deal with Baltimore in 2019, Thomas decided to continue the streak of absurdity. According to a report from Mike Silver, Thomas routinely was either late or absent to meetings so often that the Ravens warned him that fines may not be all that would occur.

Things continued to go south for the pairing of the player and the team in 2020. In April, there was an incident with his wife that resulted in her putting a gun to his head. Saturday was the final straw, however, as Thomas fought fellow teammate Chuck Clark after an argument ensued over a blown assignment by Thomas.

We all know the Dallas Cowboys history with “reclamation projects.” This team is certainly not shy about giving players one more chance. All in all, it’s rarely gone well. For every Charles Haley, there are two or three Greg Hardy’s.

If two consistently top-flight franchises with upper-echelon coaches can’t make Thomas happy, there is no reason to upset any chemistry being built by a new regime here in Dallas. Clinton-Dix is no slouch at the safety position. Xavier Woods is about to become a star and Donovan Wilson is up-and-coming. The risk versus reward is just not worth it.

Someday the Dallas Cowboys will once again have a superstar safety. That day might already be here with Xavier Woods. That day will never come with Earl Thomas. A walk is always better than a strikeout.