Cowboys early favorites to land Earl Thomas

Earl Thomas might head to the Dallas Cowboys

Former Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas’ tenure with the Baltimore Ravens will end after just one season, as the Ravens will either trade or cut the elite safety after he punched fellow defensive back Chuck Clark during a fight in practice. Even though most GMs would be scared off by his behavior, one particular franchise is keeping a very close eye on Thomas.

Adam Schefter is reporting that the Dallas Cowboys have already done their homework on Thomas, with one source calling them the “leading contender” for his services.

Earl Thomas, a Texas native, played at a Pro Bowl level for Baltimore last year.

Thomas hails from Orange, a town that lies on the Texas-Louisiana border about 4.5 hours away from Dallas, and went to school at Texas in Austin. The Cowboys made a play for Thomas last year, but he ended up signing a four-year, $55 million contract with the Ravens. Thomas recorded 49 tackles and two interceptions for the Ravens last year, showing that there are still few, if any, safeties in the league that can cover ground as effectively as he can.

Considering how Thomas has pined for Dallas to trade for him as far back as the 2017 season, Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys should pounce. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Xavier Woods are penciled in as the starting safeties, and you don’t need to be an NFL GM to see that Thomas is clearly a cut or two above both of those two.

After losing Byron Jones to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, the Cowboys were left with a threadbare secondary that opposing quarterbacks will have minimal trouble picking apart. Adding Thomas would give that entire defense more teeth given his pedigree, provided Mike McCarthy can keep him under control and prevent him from punching teammates.