In recent years the Dallas Cowboys have shown their ability to draft well. They’ve really put their emphasis on building the foundation of their team by taking care of all their players “in house” before looking at other options. Every year Cowboys fans would seek a big splash in free agency and it just never really came to fruition.

Coincidentally the spending noticeably stopped when the Cowboys hired Jason Garrett to become the team’s head coach officially in 2011 after and interim stint in 2010. The smart and positive drafting also started that year with the selection of left tackle Tyron Smith.

With the departure of Garrett after the unsuccessful 2019 season and the hiring of Mike McCarthy, things seemed to to have shifted. With McCarthy coming in, it seemed like player acquisition was going to become a 24/7/365 thing. The team went out and signed free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy in the very early stages of 2020 free agency. Unfortunately that signing didn’t pan out due to McCoy’s season ending quad injury.

The spending didn’t stop there. Following the McCoy signing came players such as defensive tackle Dontari Poe, safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, and quarterback Andy Dalton. The team also took a gamble and signed free agent and suspended edge rusher Aldon Smith. Smith was quickly reinstated by the NFL and the signing paid off immediately. The most recent monster signing for the Cowboys was bringing in defensive end Everson Griffen. The Cowboys are finally spending money and improving their starting lineup and most importantly their depth.

With all this being said, another familiar face has been made available to acquire. Safety Earl Thomas was released by the Baltimore Ravens after an altercation with a teammate during practice. This marks Thomas’ second team in which the departure was a negative one. Immediately, the Cowboys were linked to a possible destination.

It was in 2017 after a game won by the Seattle Seahawks in AT&T Stadium that Thomas ran towards the Cowboys’ locker room and grabbed then head coach Jason Garrett by the shoulder and spoke the phrase “Come get me!”. Thomas is a known Cowboys supporter. He has gone on record a few times saying that the Cowboys should give his phone a call. It’s up to one man to make that decision and one man only, and thats Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones.

Jerry Jones spoke to the Thomas rumors on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas during a Cowboys practice. Cowboys nation turned up their volumes on their speakers and heard Jones shoot down any rumors that the Cowboys were out of the Thomas market.

About 45 minutes before Jones appeared on his radio spot, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted out that the Cowboys were no longer amongst the teams in pursuit of Thomas’ services. Jones shot that tweet down real quick by telling The Fan that he (Rapoport) didn’t know what he’s talking about. Shots fired, Jerry.

It’s no secret that Jones loves the spotlight. He loves to be the center of the media world and with the Cowboys being linked to Thomas, he’s still there. By not directly answering the rumors with a yes or no answer, the hope and hype remains.

The current landscape of the safety position for the Cowboys is one that the team can definitely improved. Not to say that newly acquired Clinton-Dix and his current backup Darian Thompson can’t be serviceable, but Thomas adds power to that position. It goes from a mixed batch of rotating safeties to a position of strength. Earl Thomas makes the Cowboys better.

In that same breathe however, this goes to show you the leadership and voice that new head coach Mike McCarthy has. McCarthy has been linked to have a relationship with the general manager of the Seattle Seahawks, John Schneider. If there was any research to be done, McCarthy has his source. McCarthy has been focused and driven during this unprecedented training camp. He has also named several Cowboys players that can serve in various positions. It’s pretty clear that the players acquired by the Cowboys in 2020 has made McCarthy’s first year a bit easier.

Would adding Earl Thomas make it the smoothest season possible? Jerry Jones would like the fans to hold on for just a little bit longer.