One trade each NFL team must make before the deadline
Dallas Cowboys: Earl Thomas from Seahawks for 4th Round Pick
Yes, Thomas is out for the season with a broken left leg. It was obviously a badly-timed injury, in the final year of his contract amid trade rumors and real indications Thomas wanted no part of being a Seahawk.
But among risks Jerry Jones the general manager has taken, trading a mid-round draft pick for an injured player would be down that particular totem pole. Thomas’ two interception game against the Cowboys in Week 3 will surely be fresh in Jones’ mind too, for better or worse.
As of the morning prior to the game he was injured in, the Seahawks were still committed to getting a second-round pick in a trade for Thomas. Any idea they could trade him would be out the window now, but the early diagnosis of his injury suggested little residual damage and possibly being able to play in the Super Bowl if the Seahawks were to get there. A team with aspirations to play in the Super Bowl may have interest in trading for Thomas based on that prospect, however faint it may be.
#Seahawks star S Earl Thomas suffered a clean, lower leg break but no ligament damage and no displacement, source said. Not nearly as bad as a ligament tear would’ve been. He should be 100% by the Super Bowl... and free agency.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 1, 2018
Thomas seems to want to play for the Cowboys, and trade rumors pointing to mutual interest have never really gone away. There’s added risk now of course, but Thomas’ injury stands to lower Seattle’s asking price to a level Jones and the Dallas front office won’t be able to ignore. Signing him to a multi-year contract Thomas wants should be no trouble, and Dallas can put themselves at the front of the line by acquiring his rights in a trade now.