Las Vegas Raiders need to give Safety Earl Thomas a call

Las Vegas Raiders need to give Safety Earl Thomas a call

How can Earl Thomas help the Raiders?

In simple terms, if Earl Thomas came to the Raiders, he would immediately be the best defensive back on the roster and perhaps the best defensive player on the team. He has a lengthy resume that includes seven Pro Bowl nods, three First-Team All Pro honors, and a Super Bowl ring.

He may not be that All Pro player anymore but had a Pro Bowl season in his first year with Baltimore and his first year back from a broken leg in 2018. He allowed just a 44% completion rate when targeted in 2019, an incredibly low 24.2 QB rating, and didn’t give up a single touchdown.

Thomas would be an immediate upgrade over Erik Harris who is still a good player, but his ceiling is still lower than the former Raven’s floor. Pass coverage was still a weakness for the Raiders as displayed by Bridgewater’s clinical performance on Sunday where he went 22/34 for 270 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders badly need a playmaker in the secondary and it may be too soon to expect that from Damon Arnette or Trayvon Mullen.

Despite his issues this offseason, Thomas has been an exemplary leader over the course of his career and could bring that same fire to Las Vegas. The Raiders have a fiery leader in Abram who will bring the wood when the time comes but Thomas would make sure everyone is lined up where they are supposed to be. There is no substitute for football smarts and experience and Thomas brings boatloads of both to any team he is on.