NFL Training Camp

Free safety Earl Thomas had a bounce-back season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. However, the latest chapter of his seemingly storybook return will see him playing elsewhere after he was reportedly involved in a physical altercation with a teammate Friday.

Two years ago, the three-time first-team All-Pro's career reached a low point. He held out of Seattle Seahawks training camp while seeking a contract extension or a trade. He reported for Week 1, only to suffer a season-ending broken leg in Week 4.

Thomas left Seattle last offseason, signed his big-money deal with the Ravens and was named to his seventh Pro Bowl. While his 2019 didn't end with a Super Bowl appearance, the Ravens went 14-2 and appeared poised to make another strong run this season.

That run will not happen with Thomas in the secondary. According to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec, Thomas "threw a punch at [Chuck] Clark when the fellow safety got on him for blowing a coverage" and has since been asked to stay away from the team facility and was later released from the team on Sunday per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

That punch didn't sit well with Thomas' teammates, per Zrebiec:

"According to team sources, the incident angered many prominent Ravens, who consider Clark to be an ideal teammate, and resulted in the team's decision to tell Thomas to stay home from Saturday's practice as it mulls the next course of action with the seven-time Pro Bowl safety. Clark did participate in Saturday's practice."

Thomas also missed or was late to several position and team meetings last season, per Zrebiec. If the Ravens are growing tired of him, they could use his latest actions as an out, one year after signing him to a four-year, $55 million contract.

There's $25 million in dead money on the deal for 2020, and Thomas' $10 million base salary is fully guaranteed. 

Thomas' release begs the question: Where will he play next?

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is no stranger to making a splash, and adding Thomas late in the offseason would certainly qualify as one.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cowboys are considered the leading contender to sign Thomas when and if he is released.

While Dallas added safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, adding Thomas to further shore up the secondary would make a lot of sense.

Though the Cowboys ranked a respectable 10th in passing yards allowed last season, they snagged just seven interceptions. Thomas, who has 30 career picks and 12 forced fumbles, would bring more big-play potential to the back end.

While signing Thomas to a long-term deal could be difficult—quarterback Dak Prescott is scheduled to be on the open market in the offseason—adding him for the 2020 season is not financially out of the question.

Expect the Cowboys to act quickly once Thomas becomes available.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have lacked a playmaker on the back end since they traded Minkah Fitzpatrick last September. Bobby McCain played respectably in 2019, but Thomas would bring a little more impact to the Dolphins secondary.

McCain, meanwhile, has experience at cornerback and could still be utilized as a rotational player in head coach Brian Flores' defense.

While Thomas might not initially be interested in landing with a rebuilding franchise, Miami could intrigue him. He'd get to play for a defensive head coach and alongside two excellent cornerbacks in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. He would also land a potentially hefty contract in a state with no income tax.

Miami still has nearly $21 million in cap space remaining.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If Thomas insists on landing with a contender, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be an option. They're expected to be in the Super Bowl hunt for as long as quarterback Tom Brady remains with the team, and they could use help at safety.

Justin Evans is working his way back from a torn Achilles, while the tandem of Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards was merely serviceable last season. The Buccaneers ranked 30th in passing yards allowed, despite getting solid contributions from rookie cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean.

Tampa did use a second-round draft pick on Antoine Winfield Jr. However, Thomas could provide a veteran presence on the back end and help tighten up the Buccaneers' pass defense in the middle. He would also fit with the aggressive play-calling of coordinator Todd Bowles.

The caveat is that the Buccaneers have $1.7 million in available cap space. While Thomas may be persuaded to take a team-friendly pact—the money owed by Baltimore and the lack of a Florida state tax would aid the sales pitch—the Buccaneers would still have to free up a bit of cap space to make a deal work.

The Bucs are firmly in win-now mode, though, so the possibility cannot be dismissed.

San Francisco 49ers

While Thomas wouldn't get any tax breaks by playing for the San Francisco 49ers, he would get two chances this year for sweet, sweet revenge on the Seahawks team that tossed him aside in 2018.

The 49ers would also provide him with a shot to chase a championship and to reunite with former Legion of Boom member Richard Sherman. And while San Francisco re-signed Jimmie Ward to a three-year deal this offseason, it should still have interest in Thomas.

Ward has had an up-and-down career and a fairly significant injury history. He has appeared in all 16 games only once and has missed 19 contests over the past three years. If nothing else, the 49ers should covet Thomas as a rotational player and bit of veteran insurance.

This pairing would make sense schematically too. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh—who served as a Seahawks defensive assistant from 2011 to 2013—relies heavily on a Cover 3 system that's similar to the one in which the Legion of Boom first thrived.

Thomas might not be guaranteed a full-time starting role in San Francisco, but the 49ers could offer him the best combination of familiarity, playoff opportunity and—with $10.3 million in cap space—strong compensation. If Baltimore parts with Thomas, this might be his ideal next stop.

Cap and contract information via Spotrac.

The New Orleans Saints' quest for a Super Bowl title and Jadeveon Clowney's desire to make good money on a contender seem like a perfect match for the 2020 season. 

Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead made a clear statement about the team's expectation for the upcoming term, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

"It's gotta be Super Bowl or bust in all honesty," Armstead said. "That's it. It's not really anything else past that. It's Super Bowl or bust. We don't get to the big dance, it's a failure of a season. That's it."

For consecutive offseasons, Drew Brees has contemplated retirement. At 41 years old, he's going into what could be his last campaign.

Unless the Saints think backup quarterbacks Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston can lead them deep into the playoffs, the front office should load the roster while the team has an open Super Bowl window, with the all-time leader in passing yards (77,416) and touchdowns (547) under center for at least another year.

Despite fielding the third-highest scoring offense in 2019, New Orleans signed Emmanuel Sanders to fill a void at the No. 2 wide receiver spot. On the defensive side of the ball, the Saints ranked third in sacks (51) and second in quarterback pressures (179). Fifteen players recorded at least one sack. 

Yet, for the Saints, only Cameron Jordan topped seven sacks in 2019. Fellow defensive end Marcus Davenport was second on the team with six, but he missed three games because of a Lisfranc injury.

Although Davenport made significant strides last season, he's undergone three surgeries (thumb, toe and foot) in two years. Because of his absences and a rotation on the right side of the line, the UTSA product has played less than 51 percent of the defensive snaps in both of his campaigns.

The Saints would like to see Davenport finish the upcoming term healthy while developing into a complete defender, though that's a shaky expectation after he's missed six games.

Skeptics may question whether Clowney's presence would stunt Davenport's growth. On a positive note, the three-time Pro Bowler would strengthen the defensive line's rotation with his ability to pressure quarterbacks and seal the edge against the run. 

On the surface, Clowney had a down 2019 campaign, recording 31 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks in 13 games. He still tied for 27th leaguewide in quarterback pressures (30).

Ross Jackson of the Canal Street Chronicles offered an explanation for Clowney's drop-off in production and a reason why he could bounce back with the Saints:

"Clowney's 592 total defensive snaps along the defensive line (not just pass rush snaps) were split among both sides of the defensive line. 319 on the left side, and 235 on the right side, with the remaining snaps spread about. However, in 2018, Clowney was much more focused playing the majority of his snaps along the right side only; 683 of 795.

"Clowney's drop in production last season can easily be connected to his being required to move around a lot more than he is accustomed to doing. In New Orleans, that would not be an issue at all, as Cam Jordan holds down the left edge while Davenport tends to rotate with the aforementioned Saints trio on the right side."

In an NFC South division with quarterbacks Tom Brady and Matt Ryan, the Saints should ensure they have a pass rush that's equipped to apply pressure in spite of injuries, especially with the possibility of COVID-19-related absences. Star wide receiver Michael Thomas seems to believe the defensive line could make room for another playmaker:

After a 28-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round, Clowney spoke candidly about his ideal destination, per ESPN's Brady Henderson:

"I just want to win. I'm trying to get to the Super Bowl by any means. That's what I'm looking for: Who's going to get me there? ... I ain't gonna put my body through all of that just to lose no 16 games, go home with my check. I'd hate that, so that ain't what I'm doing. So if I can't win no Super Bowl, I ain't going to no team that can't win."

New Orleans has won three consecutive division titles going into the 2020 season. Although Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will pose a tough challenge, the Saints won't give up the crown so easily with the core of their roster intact. Clowney can join a ready-made contender that has a chance to win a title.

NBC Sports' Peter King told Paul Kuharsky of Midday 180 that he thinks Clowney has set his floor price at $15 million annually. If that's the case, the Saints can shed or restructure a couple of contracts to make room for him. They currently have $7.3 million in cap space, per Over the Cap.

With Clowney, Mario Edwards Jr., who played just 293 snaps on the line last year, could become expendable. C.J. Gardner-Johnson and P.J. Williams can handle slot duties, leaving Patrick Robinson without a clear pathway to playing time in his age-33 term.

Perhaps Clowney and the Saints can come to a middle ground on a one-year deal. Initially, he aimed for approximately $20 million annually, per ESPN's Dianna Russini. The seventh-year veteran may have to settle for the best contract on the table unless he's serious about sitting out for a bigger deal next offseason.

Neither side absolutely needs the other in this scenario.

However, Clowney's desire to win certainly fits with the team that boasts the league's best record since 2017 (37-11). Furthermore, he'll likely see some one-on-one situations with Jordan commanding most of the attention on the opposite end. Those favorable matchups may result in a higher sack total and, subsequently, a bigger payout on the free-agent market in 2021.

Jordan had pass-rushing help on the interior from defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins during the 2018 term (eight sacks), though he hasn't played with a complementary edge defender of Clowney's caliber in recent years. Davenport is coming along, but his injuries raise some concerns.

In 2019, the San Francisco 49ers' dominant defensive line became a vital component to their Super Bowl run. Although the Niners came up short to the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans can copy the formula to improve its 13th-ranked scoring defense from last year. With top-10 units on both sides of the ball, the Saints would increase their chance at an appearance in the title game.

As the hourglass on Brees' career runs out of sand, this is the time to take an aggressive approach in adding a high-end playmaker to a Super Bowl-contending roster.     

One year ago, we were watching Antonio Brown rehab his way back from frozen feet and moan about an outdated helmet.

It seems like it was much longer ago than that, but the-then Oakland Raiders were the focus of HBO's Hard Knocks last summer. We saw the fallout of Brown's antics and the rise of young players like Johnathan Abram as the team prepared for its last season in Oakland before a 2020 move to Las Vegas.

The cameras are packed away, but there is plenty of hype and excitement both internally and externally about the 2020 Las Vegas Raiders.

With the high-octane, defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the division, the Raiders (and others) entered the 2020 offseason aiming to both keep up with the Chiefs offensively while attempting to add defensive pieces to perhaps slow them down. The Raiders did it with two first-round picks—wide receiver Henry Ruggs III of Alabama and cornerback Damon Arnette of Ohio State—and throughout the entire 2020 NFL draft.

It's the addition of Ruggs and Arnette along with the rest of the draft class plus the return of veteran quarterback Derek Carr and young stars like running back Josh Jacobs, tight end Darren Waller, defensive end Maxx Crosby and Abram that has the Raiders excited.

Last summer, we saw via Hard Knocks just how important deep speed was to the Raiders offense. Head coach Jon Gruden was salivating at the prospect of Antonio Brown opening up his game plan. That fell through due to Brown's numerous on- and off-field issues, but the Raiders' front office feels they've adequately replaced that role in the offense while upgrading the X receiver spot.

"Ruggs is going to pick up what AB was supposed to do last season," one Raiders source said. "This is a mature bunch of young receivers, but they're attacking camp like pros. Carr loves them already."

If Carr finds his chemistry with Ruggs and third-rounder Bryan Edwards, the AFC West should lead the NFL in scoring.

Edwards, a player many NFL scouts told me was a first-round talent before two injuries derailed his predraft process last year, is the ideal X receiver in Gruden's offense. Edwards' 6'3", 212-pound frame fits into that mold of big, powerful possession receiver who can crush defenses on slants and option routes much like Terrell Owens, Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin have in iterations of this offensive scheme under Gruden and his mentors; while the uber-talented Waller busts seams, and Ruggs stretches the field.

"You want a basketball team at receiver, they say," one Raiders coach said. "We have ours with Ruggs running point and a whole lot of scorers around him."

With Ruggs, Edwards, Waller, 2019 breakout rookie Hunter Renfrow, 2019 fourth-round tight end Foster Moreau and veteran wideout Tyrell Williams, the Raiders have a pass-catching corps that Carr should love. It's the best group he's worked with since the Raiders selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft.

"[General manager Mike] Mayock really set the table for this team," one Raiders scout said. "He brings in Cory Littleton and Damarious Randall to fix the middle of the field, then gets Derek legit weapons in the draft. This is a good roster."

Asked how the heat and frenzy of camp was treating the players, one coach laughed.

"Man, we love this s--t!" he said. "We just want to compete."

A move to the heat of Henderson, Nevada, hasn't been able to slow the team down in padded practices. Gruden and Mayock will hope the defenses in the AFC West can't, either.