Earl Thomas openly lobbied for the Cowboys to ‘get me’ near the end of his run with Seattle. Now, after being released by the Ravens for behavior that was detrimental to the team, the Cowboys are the reported favorite to land Thomas, a seven-time Pro Bowl safety and a native Texas.
During his press conference Monday morning, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said he had discussed Thomas with Will McClay, the game staff team vice president. That being said, McCarthy added that the team is “very confident in where we are as the 80-man roster.” He also said that questions regarding available players are more for McClay, team owner / general manager Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones, the club’s director of gaming staff.
“We look at every situation,” McCarthy said, via the team’s official Twitter handle. “Player winning is 365 days a year.”
As for his current safety record, McCarthy said he loves what he’s seen out of the group, specifically four-year veteran Xavier Woods, who is set to be a starter this season after making his debut in the first three years. Dallas just got five starts. The Cowboys’ depth in safety also includes veteran Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (who played for McCarthy in Green Bay), Darian Thompson and rookie Luther Kirk.
“I love what Xavier and all those guys are doing,” said McCarthy, who also said the Cowboys have spent a good portion of the camp on different sides of the ball in different staff groups. “Communication is such a big part of training camp and progress, and I think all of our boys do a good job of that.”
While Thomas’ ability as a player is not in doubt (he returned from an injury to select after his seventh Pro Bowl in 2019, his only season with the Ravens), his unconscious departure from Baltimore allowed McCarthy to be asked how much he considers how players will fit into the team culture when evaluating perspectives.
“Everything is viewed,” McCarthy said, “but at the end of the day, the most important question you have to ask is, ‘How does a player fit in your locker room?'”
McCarthy added that there should be a “mutual understanding” when he is looking to sign a new player. Thomas, based on his earlier remarks, is probably still interested in becoming a Cowboy. The main question is how serious are the Cowboys when it comes to signing Thomas. The Dallas defense could certainly use a player of Thomas’ caliber in the secondary.
