Dallas has at least commenced talks with Thomas' camp, according to a report. It remains to be seen if they will do the same with Landon Collins.
The 6-foot, 218-pound Collins has already been named to three Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team (2016, first team), racking up 428 combined tackles, 32 passed defended, eight interceptions and 22 tackles for loss along the way.
In a recent film breakdown of
defensive players the Cowboys could target in free agency, SportsDay special contributor John Owning argued that Collins may be a better fit than Thomas in the Dallas secondary:
When examining the Dallas' safeties, it doesn't take long to figure out that strong safety is a much bigger need than free safety for the Cowboys. He's nowhere near perfect, but [Xavier] Woods has proven to be a capable deep safety who is an asset to the Cowboys defense. Jeff Heath, on the other hand, missed 13 tackles against the run (most among safeties in the NFL, per PFF) while also struggling in coverage.If the Cowboys opted to target Collins instead of Thomas, it would allow them to fill one of their biggest needs with a player who has a proven track record of thriving at that position.But because he's four years younger than Thomas (who turns 30 in May) and not coming off a serious injury like Thomas is (leg fracture), Collins will probably come at a bigger price.
ESPN reported that Collins is looking to receive top safety money, a bar the Kansas City Chiefs' Eric Berry currently sets as the league's highest-paid safety at $13 million per year. Playing under the franchise tag in 2019 would've paid Collins $11.15 million.
On Facebook at "Memories of...":
Dallas, Dallas Public, Texas, Texas Football, Texas Basketball, Texas Music. Come see us!