Sunday afternoon ended the Earl Thomas era in Baltimore in a way no one thought possible a few days ago.
And when there was doubt about what the future holds for the Ravens, coach John Harbaugh and pass defense coordinator Chris Hewitt were clear in their press conferences about the practice they look forward to.
“I think the statement speaks for itself,” Harbaugh said. “There really is not much more to add. Just plan on leaving you at this point. “
The Ravens terminated Thomas’ contract just before the team hit the field on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium for “personal conduct that negatively affected the Baltimore Ravens.” It is expected that a grievance will be filed to determine how much, if any, money the Ravens owe Thomas, which was $ 10 million in guaranteed money in the 2020 season.
Thomas signed a four-year $ 55 million deal with the Ravens in March 2019, but struggled early in his tenure as Raven. He improved as the season wore on, helping the Ravens’ defense to the third-best defense in the league in terms of allowed points. He was expected to start next to safety Chuck Clark in the Ravens’ secondary before a skirmish on Friday, where Thomas is expected to throw a punch at Clark that set things in motion for his release.
We have terminated S Earl Thomas’ contract for personal conduct and conduct that adversely affected the Baltimore Ravens.
– Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 23, 2020
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After being held home from practice on Saturday, the Ravens made the official announcement Sunday. When Harbaugh was asked to discuss what it would secondary lose without Thomas, Harbaugh declined to comment.
“No, I’m good, we’re well ahead,” Harbaugh said. “Eyes forward.”
Pass defense coordinator Chris Hewitt had a similar response when asked about Thomas’ departure.
“I think coach (Harbaugh) is already talking about it, we’re going in a different direction,” Hewitt said. “You guys want to keep talking about Earl Thomas. I think we ‘ve tackled that already.”
Harbaugh also declined to comment on reports that players on the team wish Thomas was away, or that they had something to do with his release.
“Not really, no reason to (comment),” Harbaugh said. “We always talk, we have great communication with our players. We talk about everything all the time. That’s what we’re talking about, we’re always talking about it. “
Now, financial aspects aside, the Ravens are faced with replacing the seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. That starts with safety DeShon Elliott.
Elliott, a 6th-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, broke a bone in his arm in 2018 and suffered a season-ending knee injury. He ended both of his seasons in the NFL on injured reserve.
Ever confident, Elliott has the support of the continuation and coaching staff as he figures to step into his new role. Harbaugh said it was “his time” at his press conference Sunday.
“DeShon was ready to go since he came here as a rookie,” Hewitt said. ‘I’m really impressed with him since he came here. He’s a hard-boiled kid, knows the defense in his third year, has had some unfortunate injuries and that has limited him to six or seven games, so to speak. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do when he gets out of there. “
The Dallas native and Texas alum will get the first, and probably longest, crack to become the team’s starting safety in place of Thomas.
At 6-feet-1 and 210 pounds, Elliott, 23, has the athletic and physical credentials to be a successful starter for the Ravens. Players and coaches have also complained about the restless work ethic and character, as he is known to be one of the hardest working players in the team.
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Other Ravens safety on the team are: Anthony Levine, Jordan Richards, Geno Stone (seventh-round rookie) and Nigel Warrior (undrafted rookie). The team has 77 players on the 80-man roster, which means there is room to add a veteran safety or two if the team feels so inclined.
However, they have more options than just what is on security at the moment.
The team has used Jimmy Smith safely in certain packages and coverage. Hewitt called Smith a top-flight cornerback, but said the team would turn if it looked fit.
“The way we play in our secondary, we have a lot of guys who do a lot of changeable things and we move guys around,” Hewitt said. “We will optimize our appearance when it comes to matchups.”
All options are currently on the table for the Ravens, options are less than a week ago unthinkable. But as Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported, Thomas’ latest incident was the latest in a line of reported dustups.
Ravens are actually somehow passed on from S Earl Thomas as @AdamSchefter first reported. Punching teammate Chuck Clark was last straw, but it was just last incident for Thomas who also missed or was late after meetings and had other confrontations with teammates. https://t.co/RKQsHTIjHT
Jeff Zrebiec @jeffzrebiec August 23, 2020
Now Thomas will be looking for a new team, while a fight over money will almost certainly follow.
And while Thomas is looking for his new home, the Ravens will seek to fill Thomas’ roster spot.
“But we have good safetys, we have young guys who practice and we’ll see how they do,” Harbaugh said. ‘We will just do what we always do, place the best players we have there, prepare them and get ready to play. It’s nothing else. ‘
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