The 0-3 Houston Texans are about to get a big boost on the defensive end of the ball as they are trying to turn around their season. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Texans are likely to sign free agent Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas at some point this week.
Schefter reports that Thomas worked out for Houston in the past couple of days and that the two sides are close to finalizing a deal. The also noted that the 31-year-old safety will have to get through COVID protocols before the signing can be made official.
Earl Thomas started the season with Baltimore Ravens, who made a surprising decision to release him back in August. Reportedly, Thomas had an altercation with teammate Chuck Clark during practice, which “adversely affected the team”.
Despite his troubling behavior, Thomas is productive on the field, coming off a Pro Bowl year in 2019 in which he had 49 tackles, 2.0 tackles, and two interceptions. Production from the secondary has been a particular problem for Texans, which is why they probably decided to take the risk of having a potentially problematic player in their locker room.
Thomas is expected to step in for offseason acquisition Eric Murray as a strong safety, who is struggling in coverage since the season started and has allowed some big plays recently. In this case, Murray would probably take over the role of third-year safety A.J. Moore, who is currently dealing with a hamstring injury.
