Cowboys Watch As Texans Close In On Earl Thomas
FRISCO - You have a losing team.
You have a struggling secondary.
You have, quite possibly in contractual terms, little to lose.
So you invite Earl Thomas to your NFL team facility for a visit, right?
"Right'' if you're the Houston Texans. "Wrong'' if you're the Dallas Cowboys.
READ MORE: Breaking: Earl Thomas Is 'Likely Signing' With Houston Texans
The Dallas Cowboys once again, this time in a 38-31 loss on Sunday in Week 3 at Seattle, give us yet another reason to ask if the team wishes to reverse its course in deciding Earl Thomas is not needed here.
The answer, on 105.3 The Fan on Monday morning, from COO Stephen Jones: "Not at this point, no. We got some guys who are coming our way in terms of guys coming off the three-week IR and really feel like with what we have in our camp right now, had a couple guys we brought on the practice squad that made some headway last week that aren't quite ready.
"But overall feel like we got the guys on campus here ultimately that can get the job done for us."
The answer, reiterated with the DFW media on Monday afternoon, from coach Mike McCarthy: “I’m very comfortable with our guys.”
READ MORE: Cowboys Defense: Historically Bad & Officially Dirty
So Stephen is telling you that Dallas has practice-squadders they like better than the seven-time Pro Bowler? Yup. And McCarthy is telling you about some sort of "comfort level'' with a secondary that (kinda) just gave up six TD passes in a game?
I know Dallas feels this way and I know why.
READ MORE: That Earl Thomas To Cowboys Story? 'You're Wasting Your Time'
Sources have told me they've examined the idea and they've told me "no'' on this all summer.
READ MORE: Cowboys Conduct In-House Meeting On Earl Thomas
At one point in early September, I got a text.
"You,'' this person said of my Thomas-to-Dallas persistence, "are wasting your time.''
That was true after Week 1, when Dallas lost 20-17 at the Rams. The Cowboys didn't blink. That was true after Week 2, when Dallas won, but not because the secondary could cover Atlanta. The Cowboys didn't blink. Now they are coming off a game in which they looked lost in coverage. And the Cowboys still are not blinking.
But the Texans are. Earl Thomas is in Houston and is reportedly likely to sign on there. They will try out the baggage and they will try out the talent and they will discover if the latter outweighs the former. And if it does?
They will be a losing team with a bad secondary that just got better.
Just like the Cowboys could've been.
