Earl Thomas Watch: Texans 'On Hold,' Cowboys Jerry 'On Top Of It'
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have flirted with the idea of signing safety Earl Thomas for two years. The Houston Texans have flirted with the same idea for two days.
But the finish line is probably going to end up being in the same place - Texas.
Thomas, a future Hall-of-Fame talent who has engaged in some questionable behavior that colored his time in Seattle and ended his run in Baltimore, on Monday planned to visit with his home-state Houston Texans. But on Tuesday, as Josina Anderson reported that that meeting is now "on hold,'' Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan to re-open ever-so-slightly the possibility of Thomas landing in his long-preferred destination of Dallas.
"I am aware that Thomas is out there, No. 1,'' Jones said. "No. 2, I also am interested at this juncture of improving this team now, right now.
"And, so, you'd assume that I'm right on top of and I am. We are. And what we're doing will be gauged by that. I know our fans don't expect to know the details of what might be going on relative to this issue because it's potentially very competitive and it's also dependent on our evaluation and just how much we want to act on it. We're very on top of this and very on top of doing anything we can do to help us the next game and for the rest of the season.''
That open-mindedness - any level of it - would represent a change of direction for Dallas, which has investigated Thomas' issues and finds them troubling ... and seemingly not worth the trouble.
READ MORE: Cowboys Watch As Texans Close In On Earl Thomas
READ MORE: Breaking: Earl Thomas Is 'Likely Signing' With Houston Texans
While some are speculating that the Houston visit is delayed by Thomas' choice, which is certainly possible, also in play is that the Texans have flip-flopped in their thinking. A year ago they wanted no part of the player, despite his close relationship with Texans QB and team leader Deshaun Watson.
And now? There are reasons of desperation for 0-3 Houston to re-examine ... and maybe to examine and not like what they find. Similarly, there are reasons for Jones, overseer of a 1-2 Cowboys team with some issues in the secondary that mirror Houston's, to ask his staff to take an additional look.
It's not clear who in this Texas Triangle is calling the shots here. For the two teams, it's about risk/reward. For Earl Thomas? It may be about convincing the two teams about the same.
