Earl Thomas Injury Update: Seahawks Star out 6-8 Months After Shoulder Surgery

Safety Earl Thomas, one of the linchpins of Seattle's vaunted secondary, will undergo shoulder surgery but is expected to be ready for training camp, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted that Thomas is expected to miss six to eight months.

Former NFL physician David Chao tweeted that a six-month recovery period is realistic for Thomas:

All that needs to be said about how crucial Thomas is to Seattle's defense was summed up nicely in this tweet from ESPN's Mark Schlereth during the Seahawks' Week 3 win against Denver:

No safety in the league has the kind of anticipation and closing speed that Thomas does, though it was evident with some missed tackles in the Super Bowl that he wasn't right. 

Thomas got beat up as the season came to a close. In the NFC title game against Green Bay, the All-Pro suffered a dislocated shoulder in the second quarter. He remained in the game and finished with five total tackles.

There are a lot of great players on Seattle's defense, but Thomas is the heart and soul that makes the whole thing work. He's certainly not lacking in confidence or ability, as this quote to Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated shows.

"Of course I'm going to learn from the greats—Ronnie Lott, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu," Thomas said. "But there's a lot of unfinished work they didn't do. I want to be the standard. I want to redefine what it means to be a safety."

Those comments echo basically what everyone in the Seahawks secondary believes. Thomas is the anchor of the unit, providing an intimidating presence in pass coverage and stopping the run. His toughness is evident, and now he will take the necessary steps to work back to full health for 2015.

Given how beat up Seattle's defense was in the Super Bowl against New England with Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor nursing injuries coming into the game and Jeremy Lane getting hurt early in the first quarter, this is going to be an interesting offseason for the Seahawks. 

The Seahawks looked vulnerable on defense against the Patriots, particularly in the secondary, for the first time in over two years. Thomas' injury wasn't the sole reason for those problems, but if he is limited in any way when the 2015 season starts, it wouldn't be surprising to see the NFC champs get off to a slow start.