Dallas Cowboys: Should the Cowboys trade for Earl Thomas?

The Dallas Cowboys and Earl Thomas have been linked together for months now. But in reality, would trading for the talented safety make sense?

The Dallas Cowboys have been rumored to be interested in Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. The release of veteran wide receiver, Dez Bryant has opened enough cap space to make a trade for Thomas possible and that has people talking.

While this was an intriguing idea two seasons ago something seems a bit off about any potential deal, especially when you consider what it may cost the Cowboys. From an organizational standpoint would it make sense to be interested in Thomas?

After all, this is a player who is 28 will turn 29 on May 7th. The Dallas Cowboys just released Bryant who is basically the same age partly because of his physical limitations and the toll the game has taken on his body. So why wouldn’t this be an issue with Thomas?

He plays one of the harder hitting positions in the NFL and has suffered multiple severe injuries in recent memory. In 2017 he dealt with heel and hamstring injuries that nagged him later on in the season. In 2016 he would suffer his worst injury, a fractured left tibia that forced him to injured reserve.

Unlike Bryant, Thomas is still one of the best players at his position which leads us to another issue. Thomas will be entering a contract year, so the Cowboys will have to pay him if they do not consider him a one-year rental.

There are very few general managers who would pay top dollar to a player who they know will soon begin to decline. Not only would the Dallas Cowboys have to sign Thomas to what would be a pricey extension, they would need to give up draft picks, the lifeblood of the personnel department.

You would be trading a second or third round pick (a 20-year-old prospect) for a player who is almost 30 and is due for a massive contract. This is not rocket science, the Cowboys have wanted to get younger for a while now, and that is exactly what they are doing.

Signing Thomas would go directly against the youth movement the Cowboys have going on right now. Defensive backs coach Kris Richard came to Dallas from Seattle so if anyone knows the value of Thomas it is him. The Dallas Cowboys need young linebackers and wide receivers, finding a quality safety is somewhat of a luxury the Cowboys just cannot afford right now.

The team also has the cap space to re-sign both DeMarcus Lawrence and Zack Martin and at the end of the day isn’t that what fans want the most? A long-term deal for both players would still open up cap space but then you have to begin thinking about re-signing Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott in the near future.

There is also the prevailing notion that the Dallas Cowboys see Xavier Woods as a starter in the future and could begin preparing him for that role. The Cowboys secondary is already young, hungry, and talented so adding Earl Thomas would just seem unnecessary at this point.

If this rumor was about a guy like A.J. Green, Odell Beckham Jr, or T.J. Watt, then I could understand potentially paying the price for the talent, but it is for a position the Dallas Cowboys may have already figured out.

Another thought to ponder, the four best safeties in this draft class will be cheaper than Thomas for the next four/five seasons if not longer, and Dallas should have a chance to draft most of them. I agree the team needs to address the safety position at some point, however dealing for Thomas seems like the wrong answer to a simple question.

The Dallas Cowboys should be accumulating extra draft picks not trading them away for aging veterans. So yes I know losing Dez Bryant stings a little bit more than your typical release, but it was for the best.

Next: Dallas Mavericks: What have we learned from this season?

Bryant had fallen off dramatically in production and all you have to do is Google the stats from his last three seasons to see that. Adding another veteran who has shown a bit more fragility in his later years is not that answer.