The Dallas Cowboys have been linked to a potential off season trade for Earl Thomas. With training camp approaching, it is time to let these rumors die.
Dallas Cowboys fans believe the team needs a new free safety. The hole at free safety opened when the last year’s free safety, Byron Jones, moved to cornerback to help that young group. To fill that hole, Cowboys fans are hoping the team can pull off a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for free safety Earl Thomas.
The veracity of this storyline is yet to be proven. Jones could either be moving to cornerback permanently, which would open the spot, or he could simply be cross training at both free safety and nickel corner.
If he were to be cross training, then the Cowboys would simply be in step with the latest steps defenses are taking to keep up changing NFL offenses. Per a Pro Football Focus article, teams are moving away from the traditional free/strong safety mold as a way to combat the increasing use of 11 personnel.
Moving away from the free/strong safety dichotomy, teams are beginning to cross train safeties to play multiple roles within the defensive scheme. In particular, teams are asking their traditional free safety to play in the slot.
The advantage of this move is that it allows defenses to keep the same personnel on the field. Otherwise, an offense with a hybrid player who can play running back and slot receiver can cause mismatches. Those mismatches are exactly what defenses are looking to eliminate by training the free safety to cover in the slot. It also allows defenses to maintain their numbers in the box versus the run game.
Such a move is extremely important against teams that utilize a lot of Run Pass Option plays like the Philadelphia Eagles. A team like the Eagles will look to weaken the box by forced a linebacker out to cover a running back. Then they will chose the best option either the run or the pass. The dilemma defenses face is what they should do with the linebacker. Should he cover the receiver opening the run game? Or should he stay in the box and open up the quick pass?
By training the traditional free safety to cover in the slot, defenses are starting to take away an option in the run pass option set. If the Cowboys are doing this with Bryon Jones, they are simply adjusting their defense to handle what the Eagles and other teams will be throwing at this this fall.
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Which means the pipe dream trade for Thomas may never materialize. It may not happen because the Cowboys may not be in the market for a free safety after all. Although Cowboys fans dream of a secondary with Earl Thomas, it simply may not be in the works. With camp approaching, it may be time to let that dream die.