The Seattle Seahawks defense was clearly hindered in 2016 by the loss of safety Earl Thomas. But in their OTAs, the Seahawks got some good news.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Thomas was essentially a full participant.
#Seahawks OTAs tidbits: S Earl Thomas (leg) was taking nearly every rep — very good news. OL Germain Ifedi worked more at RT than anything.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 31, 2017
Thomas is a five-time Pro Bowler and has been named first-time All Pro four times. Needless to say, his presence in the Seahawks’ secondary allows the Legion of Boom to be that much more aggressive.
Thomas broke his leg in Seattle’s Week 13 game against the Carolina Panthers. He missed the remaining four regular season games, as well as the team’s two playoff contests. Wednesday’s news is a far cry from the night Thomas got hurt, when he sent out a tweet hinting that retirement could be forthcoming.
Thomas’ absence was particularly notable in late season losses to the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, as well as the Seahawks’ playoff loss to the Atlanta Falcons. In those three games, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, and Matt Ryan completed just a shade under 70 percent of their passes for 868 yards, seven touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 129.4.
Based on that, Seattle needs a healthy Thomas back if it has any designs on seriously competing for a Super Bowl. So, Wednesday’s news was certainly welcome in the Pacific Northwest.