Could Thomas reporting to Seahawks be blessing in disguise for Broncos?
Sep 5, 2018, 6:55 PM
On the surface, All-Pro safety Earl Thomas ending his holdout and reporting to the Seattle Seahawks seems like a negative for the Denver Broncos as they head toward their season-opening tilt at home on Sunday.
After practice on Wednesday, Broncos safety Justin Simmons said Thomas — a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro (three with the first team) — ranked at the top of his list of safeties.
“Definitely at the top. Earl’s been doing it for a long and at an elite level for a long time,” Simmons said.
Broncos quarterback Case Keenum called him a “special player,” and “one of the best” he’s ever played against.
“I’ve played him a bunch, watched him a bunch, and he can do some things on film that nobody else can do,” Keenum said Wednesday. “He’s a guy that you just have to know where he is at all times. He can play his assignment from almost anywhere on the field.
“Knowing where he’s at, he’s a heck of a player, and I guarantee you he can step in and be right where he wants to be.”
But could Thomas playing right away actually benefit the Broncos on Sunday?
“How rusty will he be? That’s the main question,” said “Stokley and Zach” co-host Brandon Stokley. “We’ve all seen Earl Thomas the last few years and what type of football player he is, but there will be some rust there.
“The guy hasn’t practice football since the end of last year, really.”
Stokley said on Wednesday that he believes Thomas playing could actually work in the Broncos favor.
“It could be one of those things (where) we took advantage of him not being ready to play real football because he hasn’t been practicing,” Stokley said.
Keenum, however, whoever is out there the team feels good about its offense.
“Obviously, like I’ve said, I’ve got a lot of respect for No. 29. He’s a guy that you know where he is at all times,” Keenum said. “We feel like we trust our guys running routes and catching the ball versus anybody out there. I think they’ll come with a great game plan, if he’s playing or if he’s not.”
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said he did meet with Thomas, but whether or not the safety will play on Sunday is still up in the air.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
