Earl Thomas’ Ed Reed comparisons will never be louder

Baltimore replaces Eric Weddle with another, better veteran safety.

It came a little later than he wanted, but Earl Thomas found his way out of Seattle. The longtime Seahawks safety and five-time All-Pro is leaving the Pacific Northwest for Baltimore after signing with the Ravens on the first official day of 2019’s free agent season.

It’s a move that continues an ongoing chain of great safety play in Baltimore. Thomas is the next link in a reaction that began with Ed Reed, moved on to Eric Weddle, and now pushes on to another potential Hall of Fame player. With talented defenders leaving Maryland left and right, Thomas will be counted on to provide some stability for the 2018 AFC North champions.

The signing gives Thomas a change of scenery while delivering the longterm contract he’d sought but not received in Seattle. The hard-hitting safety had lobbied for a trade after his Legion of Boom defense was dismantled in the midst of an apparent Seahawks rebuild. As teammates like Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett departed, Thomas was left behind to play out the final year of a four-year, $40 million extension signed in 2014.

The 2018 season didn’t play out like anyone could have expected. Thomas performed like one of the league’s top defenders ... for 3.5 games before sustaining a season-ending injury. Seattle bounced back from a multitude of personnel losses to rally to the postseason anyway. But that injury and the Seahawks’ post-Thomas success didn’t drive down the demand for a potential Hall of Fame defender this offseason.

What does this mean for Baltimore?

Thomas brings an immediate boost to the Ravens’ secondary as an elite safety with plenty of big-game experience.

The 30-year-old has made 11 playoff starts in his career, making 82 tackles, knocking down nine passes, and recording a pair of interceptions on the way. He’s won a blowout Super Bowl and been on the receiving end of one of the most devastating losses in big game history after giving up the second-greatest comeback in the history of the game.

Baltimore isn’t just getting a locker room leader, however. Thomas played motivated in 2018 as he angled for a route out of Seattle, retaining his spot as one of the league’s top defenders in the process. Pro Football Focus rated him as the league’s top safety over the first three games of the season. In just 3.5 games before a broken leg ended his year, he had 25 tackles and three interceptions while providing the foundation that kept the Seahawks a contender in what should have been a rebuilding year.

For the Ravens, acquiring Thomas sticks to a formula that’s worked in the past. The club signed Eric Weddle away from the Chargers at age 31 back in 2016, then watched as he put together four dominant seasons as part of a late career renaissance before his release this winter. Baltimore is hoping Thomas can follow a similar path — especially after free agency has ushered other defenders like C.J. Mosley, Terrell Suggs, and Za’Darius Smith out of town.

What does this mean for Earl Thomas?

Thomas will be 30 years old this fall, but his play has remained at a steadily elite pace as he’s gotten older. However, a litany of recent injuries could begin to take their toll; the safety has missed 19 games over the last three years due to injury, including a pair of broken legs. The first, in 2016, was jarring enough to make him consider retirement.

Thomas reconsidered, then came back from 2018’s break to ink a four-year, $55 million contract with $32 million in guarantees. The question now is whether playing for a new franchise will stoke his competitive fire or if those thoughts could creep back if he misses any extended time this fall. The Ravens have him locked in through 2022, but he may not see the end of that deal thanks to the arduous nine seasons and multiple injuries that have followed him to the East Coast.

But 2019 will also mark Thomas’s second act in the NFL, and he’ll have the chance he can still thrive not only in his 30s, but also away from the Pacific Northwest. Thomas excelled as part of a powerful ensemble in Seattle, and last season was the first to really give him the chance to thrive in a singular starring role. He made the most of that opportunity — for fewer than four games.

Now his chance to prove he’s a Hall of Fame safety by keeping up his All-Pro pace and leading another defense to greatness. While he may have hoped his hometown Cowboys would have made an offer, Dallas has proven to be “bargain shoppers” at safety this spring with large extensions looming for Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott.

Baltimore could be an even better destination. The Ravens have been the furnace that molded great defenders in the past, and now Thomas will take a borderline Hall of Fame resume across the country in hopes of proving he’s one of the best to ever play his position. The Ed Reed comparisons will never be louder than they’ll be as long as Thomas anchors down on the Chesapeake Bay.

Baltimore is paying him to be a superstar as the centerpiece of its rebuilt defense; as long as he can recover from 2018’s broken leg, that’s a role Thomas is capable of playing.