The Seattle Seahawks missed All Pro safety Earl Thomas through the final quarter of the regular season and the playoffs. Their defense simply wasn’t the same after the defensive back suffered a broken tibia back in Week 13. In fact, this unit yielded a 100-plus quarterback rating in the six games Thomas was sidelined.
There is, however, some good news for fans in the Pacific Northwest. Head coach Pete Carroll indicated on Monday that he expects Thomas to be back in time for the 2017 season.
Carroll thinks that both Earl Thomas and Tyler Lockett should be ready to start the season. #Seahawks
— Liz (@Liz_Mathews) January 16, 2017
With the type of injury that Thomas suffered, this wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Heck, the safety sent out a pretty cryptic tweet about potentially retiring immediately after he was injured (more on that here).
At 27 years old and with three All Pro seasons behind him, Thomas remains one of the best all-around defenders in the NFL. His value to the Seahawks was also noted in his absence. Let’s all hope Thomas makes a full recovery and does indeed decide to return for the 2017 season. Football itself is better with him on the field.