DALLAS — Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas is still a no-show at team workouts, and it doesn't help to slow the rumor mill that the Dallas Cowboys front office is still eyeing veteran help on the back end.
At the annual team golf outing Wednesday, chief operating officer Stephen Jones said the team will keep an eye on "just the right fit" at the safety position.
"I think we don't ever quit looking in terms of player acquisition," Jones said. "One of the things that is unique is that when you have players with versatility that makes you feel a little better. You talk about Byron [Jones] and Chidobe [Awuzie]. We certainly want them honed in on what we want them to do this year. But at the same time, if we saw just the right fit there at the free safety position or even the strong safety position, because we know Jeff [Heath] has some flexibility as well, then we'll certainly look at that."
As we know, three-time All Pro safety Thomas sought out head coach Jason Garrett after the Seahawks prevailed 21-12 over the Cowboys on Dec. 24, 2017 and implored him to "come get me" when the time was right.
When will the time be right? It wasn't prior to the new league year in March, and it wasn't during the draft, even though the Cowboys were reportedly putting together an offer. Has the ship sailed on former Longhorn Thomas coming home to Texas?
Not necessarily, and this is the important thing to recall. While from now until training camp you may see your favorite beat writers showing up in the B-roll for WFAA Sports asking and hinting to the same questions of the Joneses, then seeing your favorite Zebra Cakes acolytes linking to those stories, and then watching your beloved huzzah proclaimers go live every day to kick around the idea, the reality is it's not happening. Not yet. Let me show you when to look for the sign of the times.
Since March 2012, when the NFL was able to operate for the first full off-season under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, there have been 395 trades. Only 18 of them occurred from the conclusion of the draft to July 31.
In terms of Cowboys history, going back to 1994, the Joneses have executed a total of 88 trades, and only four of them occurred in that post-draft to July 31 time frame. Those four transactions were acquiring receiver James McKnight (June 1999), shipping out defensive back Pete Hunter (July 2005), swapping linebacker Bobby Carpenter for tackle Alex Barron (July 2010), and taking linebacker Rolando McClain off the Ravens hands (July 2014).
Watch this.
Since 2012, from Aug. 1 to Week 1, there have been a total of 71 trades across the league. How does that compare to the Cowboys? Try 21 trades in the same time frame from 1994-2017.
Now, the Cowboys haven't exactly made stunning trades in that span, unless you consider the 2005 trade for Seth Marler the absolute turning point that setup the Tony Romo glory years. But let's think back to last year with the rest of the league. It was during this same time frame that the Eagles traded with Buffalo for Ronald Darby. Speaking of the Bills, they also shipped Sammy Watkins to the Rams during the same time.
The reason why teams make deals during August and September as opposed to May through July is because of two key events NFL fans long for in the doldrums of May: training camp and preseason. Clubs get to evaluate their position groups. They get to see what areas are concerns and what areas are strengths; what areas have been hit with injury and what areas are trade capital come Cut Day Weekend after the fourth and final preseason game.
Stephen explained this, and it probably won't be the last time he does so during this intermezzo.
Said Jones: "Who knows at the end of the training camp area, if you're real strong in a particular area, you could might do something along those lines in a particular area in terms of trading a player for a player, something along those lines. We certainly are confident about where we are, but we certainly know we've got a lot of work to do."
Perhaps the versatility of Heath, as he is embarking upon a career year, assuages the Cowboys during the preseason along with the quality work from Awuzie, Jones, and Kavon Frazier in the secondary. Why would they need to give up a pick for Thomas?
But what if Awuzie's hamstring acts up, Heath blew out his ACL, Frazier isn't quite getting it, and Jones is doing way too much? Well, now the Thomas trade seems to be a better deal for Dallas. What would they have at that point that would interest the Seahawks? Would it be picks or players?
"We feel overall we're comfortable and are confident about where we are," said Jones. "There's still a lot of work to do between now and the start of the season. We've got some really good football players on this team. I think the competition levels will be high."
Don't look for the Thomas trade to happen before training camp. Enjoy your summer.
Do you think the Cowboys will ultimately end up with Earl Thomas or have the rumors been much ado about nothing? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
