One offseason move each NFL team must make

San Francisco 49ers-Sign Earl Thomas

Thomas held out deep into last preseason in a failed effort to get contract extension from the Seattle Seahawks, and trade rumors were never consummated before he suffered a broken leg in Week 4. The timing of the injury was not ideal for teams that wanted to trade for him, in particular the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, but Thomas should be 100 percent healthy by the time free agency starts.

Injuries have become a concern for Thomas, with 19 missed games over the last three seasons. That durability issue won’t be going away as he approaches 30 (May 7), but he’s one of the best safeties around and multiple teams will see him as the missing piece in their secondary.

The 49ers will have the cap space to make Thomas an offer along the lines he’s looking for. And he’s an automatic fit for former Seattle assistant Robert Saleh’s defensive scheme, which borrows heavily from the Seahawks but lacks the personnel to make it work as Seattle’s defense did at its peak (a “center fielder” at free safety, in particular). Add in the revenge layer of playing the Seahawks twice a year, and Thomas could easily reunite with Richard Sherman in San Francisco.