The Oakland Raiders are reportedly on the short-list of teams safety Earl Thomas would want to be traded to, and they must go after the All-Pro talent.
Outside of Karl Joseph, who has been impressive throughout his time in the NFL, the Oakland Raiders have more questions than answers when it comes to the safety position. Second-year player Obi Melifonwu has rarely seen the field, Reggie Nelson appears well on the downside of his career and the questions only pile up more from there.
With the arrival of new head coach Jon Gruden, the defense in Oakland has been a black spot on the Raiders’ résumé in recent years. Yes, they have Khalil Mack as one of the league’s premiere edge rushers. But outside of that, it’s been tough sledding for the unit as a whole, which has been marred by injuries, inconsistency and plenty of other negative terms you could throw their way.
Now they seem to at least have the chance to potentially turn that around and add another superstar defensive player on the unit with Mack: safety Earl Thomas.
According to a report, Thomas told Raiders owner Mark Davis the same thing he told Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, to come and get him:
People have dissected the rumors and speculation regarding a Thomas trade to Dallas to no end this offseason. Considering the reports that the Seattle Seahawks wanted a second-round pick at one point, many have decided that the Cowboys might be better off not making the deal, especially with the youth they have in their secondary.
The Raiders, though, find themselves in a different position as a team. As stated, the safety room has plenty of questions and the defense needs a jolt of life. Thomas would almost surely provide that.
For all of the talk about the prowess of the now-defunct Legion of Boom in Seattle, Thomas was arguably the heart of that unit. He made the defense tick as a do-it-all playmaker on the back end. He can defend on every level, making tackles, plays on the ball and simply making plays that help to make a defense successful.
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As always when you’re talking about a trade, it does come down to price. It’s hard to say if Oakland would have to give up the second-round pick Seattle was once seeking at this point, or what else it might take to do so. What this report does say, however, is that the Raiders could have a viable chance of landing Thomas. And with that opportunity presenting itself, they have to make every effort within reason to go after it.