Baltimore Ravens are set with Earl Thomas and Chuck Clark
With all the Jamal Adams talk, people are seemingly forgetting that Earl Thomas and Chuck Clark are a good combination:
The Baltimore Ravens have a good combination in Earl Thomas and Chuck Clark. Thomas made the Pro Bowl in the 2019 season and performed well in his first campaign with the Ravens. Clark started for most of last year and he was a crucially important player for the defense.
Jamal Adams would be an upgrade over Clark. That being said, Adams would be an upgrade almost every strong safety in the game. If a trade for Adams is the biggest hope you have left for this offseason that’s fine. I get it. What you have to be careful of however, is creating a need that doesn’t exist.
Clark and Thomas are one of the best duos at the safety position in the NFL. Thomas had two picks last season and did a good job taking away big plays down the field. Much like with an offensive lineman, a free safety not being noticed by the casual fan is a sign they’re doing their job well. For his first season in a new scheme, Thomas didn’t have many problems.
When the Ravens had to re-assign who would be getting the play-calls from Don Martindale, they chose Clark. That alone should show you that he isn’t exactly a chump. Clark picked up 73 tackles last season. A player who didn’t come into the season as the starter ended up the leading tackler of a 14-2 team. If that’s what he did in 2019, just imagine what Clark can do for the rest of his career.
Whether you appreciate them or not, Clark and Thomas are here to stay. The idea that the Ravens would use an off the field incident (that’s really not our business) to part with Thomas never really made sense. I think there has been a lot of conjecture but Thomas and the Ravens should be on good terms.
light. Related Story. A trade for Jamal Adams is too complicated
According to Spotrac.com the Ravens don’t have a viable potential out in Thomas’s deal until after the 2021 season. Thomas is set to make $15 million in 2020 and $16 million in 2021.
In a potential trade for Adams, many believe that Thomas could be part of the deal. If that were to happen the Ravens wouldn’t have a true free safety on the roster. Again, this really isn’t an article about the idea of trading for Adams, but at this point in the offseason it sounds like a shake up the team doesn’t need.
Clark would have been on the last year of his rookie contract if the Ravens hadn’t given him a contract extension. Clark is the exact kind of player that the Ravens have always been inclined to re-sign. Clark isn’t a household name which gives the Ravens a chance to keep him around.
The Bottom Line:
The Ravens don’t have a need a different starter at the safety position. They have exactly what they need. The Ravens have one of the best secondary units in the NFL, if not the best. Upgrades are never off the table of consideration yet the Ravens are set.
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Whether the Ravens have been all that serious about Adams or not, there are a lot of factors to why the deal is almost one hundred percent not going to happen. Everything points to Clark and Thomas being the starting safeties in Baltimore for at least the next couple of seasons.