NFL Free Agency Predictions: 10 Possible Destinations for Pierre Thomas
If you were to ask New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees who the most important player on offense was during the teams championship run in 2009, more likely than not he would say running back Pierre Thomas.
One of the more underrated do-everything backs in all of football, Thomas has been very good in his four years with the Saints. He has never run for 1,000 yards, but that is a product of the Saints offense and trying to incorporate Reggie Bush into the game plan.
When the Saints won the Super Bowl, Thomas was involved in a number of big plays one way or another. He made big plays with his feet when he was asked. He is a terrific pass blocker in the backfield. He catches passes as well as any running back in football.
Thomas is set to be a free agent after this season, unless the Saints can restructure a few contracts and afford to keep him.
If he does hit the open market, he will make a very valuable commodity for a lot of teams because he is so versatile.
Here are 10 teams that could (and should) make a run at Pierre Thomas for 2011.
New Orleans Saints
1 of 10
Who knows Pierre Thomas better than New Orleans?
He has been so valuable to them since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He suffered an ankle injury early in 2010 and could sign a one-year deal with the team to reestablish his value.
Another factor that works in his favor with the Saints is his value to Drew Brees. He is such a great pass blocker and pass catcher that the Saints quarterback could campaign to bring Thomas back.
Miami Dolphins
2 of 10
Things are starting to get a little dysfunctional in Miami.
They are flirting with Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, even though they still have a head coach in place, Tony Sparano. Running back Ricky Williams is unleashing on the radio about Sparano as a head coach.
Williams might not be back with the Dolphins in 2011. The same can be said for their other running back Ronnie Brown, who has managed to stay healthy all season long. Brown is a free agent after the season.
Pierre Thomas could make a very nice addition to a Miami offense that needs more playmakers to go along with wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
New York Jets
3 of 10
When the season started, things looked good for the Jets and their running backs, LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. As the season has gone on, the production of both guys has dropped off.
Pierre Thomas could be a nice addition to a Jets team that needs a young do-everything running back. The team will also need to find skill position playmakers since their top two receivers (Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards) will be free agents.
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Indianapolis Colts
4 of 10
The Indianapolis Colts running game has been a bit of a mess for the last couple years. They finished the 2010 season ranked 29th in the league in rushing.
Granted, when you have Peyton Manning as your quarterback, you don’t HAVE to run the ball.
That’s why Pierre Thomas to Indianapolis makes a lot of sense.
He doesn’t have to run the ball to be successful. He can block for Manning. He can catch short passes and turn them into big gains. He makes plays, which is something the Colts haven’t had at the running back position for years.
Cincinnati Bengals
5 of 10
Cincinnati will look to reinvent themselves on offense in 2011. They aren’t going to bring back Terrell Owens. They could possibly trade Chad Ochocinco. Running back Cedric Benson was a big disappointment in 2010.
Pierre Thomas could bring an added element to the offense that they haven’t seen in the Carson Palmer era—an all-purpose running back. The Bengals need to change certain aspects of their offense. Thomas could be a piece to build that new offense around.
Green Bay Packers
6 of 10
Green Bay really took a hit offensively in 2010 when Ryan Grant went down in the first game of the season. Aaron Rodgers was fantastic and the receivers were great, but they didn’t get any support from the running game.
Bringing in Pierre Thomas to share the load with Grant could work wonders for Green Bay’s offense. Their offense, even without a running back, is great. Add in an effective running game, which Thomas can help bring, and the Packers will be up there with the Colts and Patriots on offense.
Seattle Seahawks
7 of 10
Give some credit to Seattle. They did win seven games this year with a completely rebuilt roster, a quarterback, who when healthy, couldn’t play consistently and virtually no playmakers to speak of.
They could use a versatile guy like Pierre Thomas. He can bring a little credibility to their offense, which ranked 28th in the NFL. They need some kind of a running back, since they didn’t have anyone on the roster this year run for 100 yards in any game.
Washington Redskins
8 of 10
Clinton Portis is probably done in Washington. Ryan Torain came on and had a very nice year for Mike Shanahan’s team. But if anyone knows anything about running backs, it is Shanahan. He constantly changed backs in Denver and had success.
He could use Pierre Thomas, who is an actual playmaker. Washington’s group of skill position players on offense might be the worst group in all of football. Thomas would be a valuable asset for Washington and what they want to do.
Dallas Cowboys
9 of 10
Dallas has about 600 running backs on the roster. With the exception of Felix Jones, all of them had disappointing seasons in 2010. Part of that could have to do with a really bad offensive line, which Pierre Thomas could help with.
Thomas could make up for a lot of the offensive line's deficiencies, given his ability to pass block. Not to mention what else he would bring to the offense led by Tony Romo.
Dallas could and should take a run at Thomas this offseason.
Detroit Lions
10 of 10
Detroit is a team on the rise. They have a stud wide receiver in Calvin Johnson. They have an emerging quarterback in Matthew Stafford, who needs to stay healthy. The defense got better as the year went on.
Pierre Thomas could bring a winning mentality into a franchise that needs to continue moving forward.
Add to that the fact that the Jahvid Best/Maurice Morris/Kevin Smith trio didn’t work in 2010, and you have a good fit for both the team and the player going into 2011.
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