Former Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas might have found himself a new home for the 2020 NFL season. After three weeks and a bunch of defensive woes, the Houston Texans are bringing Thomas in for a workout. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Texans are likely to sign the Pro Bowl safety.
The Ravens released Thomas this offseason after he got into a fight with fellow safety Chuck Clark at a training camp practice. However, it wasn’t the only incident that helped Baltimore decide to move on from their starting safety. Thomas had previously gotten into a heated exchange with defensive tackle Brandon Williams last season, needing players and staff to intervene to stop it from getting physical. Thomas also had a troubled offseason that included allegedly being confronted by his wife with a loaded gun, causing the police to be called.
In the end, it was just too much trouble for the Ravens to take, releasing Thomas for conduct detrimental to the team. Baltimore has since rallied around Clark and DeShon Elliott as the starting safeties this season.
Houston has had a pretty rough start to their season, arguably getting the hardest opening stretch of any team this year. The Texans have had the Kansas City Chiefs, Ravens, and Pittsburgh Steelers in their first three games, helping guide them to an 0-3 start. After having been a playoff team last year, that type of awful beginning leaves their chances of returning to the postseason in doubt.
The Texans have actually done well this season defending the pass. Despite playing against two of the better offenses in the league to open the season, Houston has allowed the third-fewest passing yards. The real issue has been defending the run, where they’re the worst-rated team in the NFL, giving up an average of 188.3 rushing yards per game. Baltimore fans will remember all too well Thomas’ woes in that area of the game last season, struggling against Browns running back Nick Chubb and Titans running back Derrick Henry especially.
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