Dallas Cowboys safety Xavier Woods not bothered by the Earl Thomas talk. Not any more
The seemingly perpetual flirtations between the Dallas Cowboys and safety Earl Thomas used to bother Xavier Woods.
The fourth-year safety was a rookie when Thomas walked into the Cowboys locker room after a game in 2017 and told then-coach Jason Garrett to come get him in free agency.
He was in his first year as a starter in 2018 when the team unsuccessfully tried make a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for Thomas mid-season.
Then during free agency last offseason, the Cowboys were linked to the seven-time Pro Bowl player before he signed a four-year, $55 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens.
By this time, Woods showed signs of Thomas fatigue. He admitted that he felt the pursuit of another safety was “disrespectful” to him.
Well, here we go again. The sudden release of Thomas by the Ravens for conduct detrimental to the team has renewed Thomas-to-the-Cowboys talk.
Owner Jerry Jones said the Cowboys were weighing how he could fit with the team before making a final decision.
This time Woods is unfazed.
“I just control what I can control,” Woods said. “That’s the bottom line. Um, I know my worth. I know that I can play and that’s all that matters to me. It doesn’t bother me anymore, man. I don’t even pay no mind to it.”
Woods shares an agent with Thomas in David Mulugheta and they have discussed the possibility of familiar competition joining the fray at safety. “That’s between me and him,” Woods said. “I’m going to leave it at that. We’ve had that conversation.”
Woods doesn’t need the Thomas talk as added motivation.
He is in the last year of his contract and is focused on securing his own future.
It also helps that Woods’ spot at strong safety in the starting lineup is seemingly secure, with or without Thomas. The unsettled spot in the back of the secondary that has the Cowboys even thinking about Thomas is at free safety where Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Darian Thompson are waging a training camp battle.
Clinton-Dix came in as favorite due to his connection with coach Mike McCarthy dating back to their time together in Green Bay. But his one-year, $2.25 million contract and being with his fourth team in the last four seasons suggests that his place is not secure.
Thompson, however, has been better and more impressive in camp so far, and he would be the starter if the season began today.
“He’s had a heck of a camp,” Woods said of Thompson. “When I don’t know something, I know for sure that he knows it. He’s been consistent. He knows what he’s doing. He’s been great so far this camp.”
Woods made it clear that he would be comfortable no matter who started opposite him in the secondary.
His goals for 2020 are simple and singular. “To be the best player I can be, that’s all — and win a championship.,” he said. “That’s it.”
If he does that, the rest will take care of itself.
