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The Baltimore Ravens were put in an untenable situation by safety Earl Thomas. However, there’s always a silver lining, even in the darkest of storm clouds. The decision to cut Thomas is certainly a stormy moment for Baltimore but it provides a teaching moment for a very young team.
Namely, they don’t care how talented you are or how much money you earn. If you aren’t willing to be a team player and fit the franchise’s established values, they have no problem telling you to pack your bags.
Thomas made it clear he didn’t fit the Ravens’ culture in his short stint with the team. He got into a heated argument with defensive tackle Brandon Williams last season, requiring others to get between them to stop it turning into a fight. He allegedly punched fellow safety Chuck Clark in practice last week after blowing a coverage assignment. And as NFL Network’s Michael Silver notes, there was even more going on behind the scenes, with Thomas showing up late or outright missing meetings dating back to last season. It all paints a picture of a player who didn’t respect his teammates and coaches, or at least felt he was above the coveted team mantra “Play like a Raven.”
There’s no doubt Thomas is a supremely talented player and one of the best cover safeties in the NFL right now. Quarterbacks had a ridiculously low 24.2 passer rating when targeting Thomas last season. In a league full of smart and physically gifted players, Thomas stood out above the already top of humanity for those two traits. He’s very well on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day and Baltimore is absolutely going to feel his absence on the field every week this season.
But on-field production isn’t everything. And in a secondary where the average age is just 25 years old, allowing Thomas’ insolence to continue sends the wrong message to the 15 other defensive backs on the roster. But by releasing Thomas quickly and without fanfare, the Ravens made it crystal clear that no one — no matter how talented and how much it would cost to jettison — is above the whole of the team.
If there were any questions as to who the boss was before this, coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta put their proverbial foot down. Baltimore is now hoping this is the defining moment of what is a championship season, where they rally around each other and take it to the next level. Even if it doesn’t, the Ravens seem at peace about their decision to move forward without Thomas and his antics.
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