We’re just over a week away from the draft and one big situation remains unresolved.

Earl Thomas’ future.

There’s no new contract. No trade. Nothing.

Just a lot of talk about the Dallas Cowboys making a move.

So what’s going to happen? A deal with Dallas became more likely the moment Dez Bryant was cut. Without that move, the Cowboys can’t afford Thomas. Now they can.

They also created a hole at safety by acknowledging they’re shifting Byron Jones to corner. With Kris Richard now part of the defensive staff in Dallas, everything seems set up for a Thomas trade.

And let’s be honest here — it feels like we’re past the point of thinking Earl has a long term future in Seattle. By all means cling to that hope if you wish but the Seahawks seem, rightly or wrongly, to be quite ready to move on.

So why hasn’t it happened yet?

Here’s a suggestion…

The Cowboys have holes to fill. An Earl Thomas trade would likely cost them pick #50. Possibly more. They might want to accumulate some extra stock first. After all, this is a strong looking draft in rounds 2-3.

The Seahawks are almost certain to trade down from #18. What if Dallas wants to do the same at #19? See if they can pick up an extra third rounder themselves? That would soften the blow of dealing pick #50.

All the talk this week has been about Dallas and Courtland Sutton. Tony Pauline today reported the Cowboys like Sutton but don’t see him as a first round talent. Technically that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t take him in round one. They just don’t grade him as a first rounder. If they traded down into the 20’s, they might be picking from a pool of second round grades anyway.

So let’s piece things together. The Cowboys are showing a lot of interest in Courtland Sutton and need that type of receiver after cutting Dez Bryant. They don’t view him as a legit first rounder. Could they trade down into the 25-32 range, pick up a third rounder, and then select Sutton?

That could then set up an Earl Thomas trade. The Cowboys could send #50 and one of their third rounders to Seattle. Or, alternatively, they keep the two third rounders as a consolation for not picking in round two.

They’d still need to have a new contract with Earl Thomas agreed before pulling the trigger (or at least a high level of confidence it would get done). This could, theoretically, allow for serious talks with Thomas’ people at the end of day one of the draft — with a trade ratified before the start of round two.

This is just me thinking out loud. It could be completely wide of the mark. I’ve seen it suggested Thomas’ contract demands are already a stumbling block. We’ve all seen the talk of Seattle wanting a first rounder. It could simply be about both teams trying to gain the most leverage during a lengthy arm wrestle.

I think, considering how much time the Seahawks are spending meeting projected second round prospects, they probably expect a deal to occur (or they’re fairly certain they’ll be trading down from #18).

Whatever happens, I think we should expect the Seahawks to trade down from #18 in any scenario. Unless Saquon Barkley, Bradley Chubb, Quenton Nelson or a handful of others drop to #18 (which won’t happen) — the prospects touted for #18 are going to be graded similarly to the players in round two. It’s just that type of class.

Picking once at #18 and not again until #120 isn’t going to happen. We know that. Not with this team, in this type of re-tool. Picking at #18, #50 and then #120 seems only slightly less unlikely to me.

Ideally, if they trade Earl Thomas, they still turn #18 into two second rounders. That would give them three second round picks to try and acquire as many of the players they’ve been showing interest in (Christian Kirk, Ronnie Harrison, Josh Sweat, Isaiah Oliver, Justin Reid etc).

Getting three picks in this years second round? That’s how you launch a new era.

And on Christian Kirk — thanks to Sea Mode in the comments section for highlighting this tweet:

Nick Saban: "Christian Kirk is probably the best all-around player in our league." — Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 6, 2017

It’s something to remember next week. The SEC isn’t short for talent and that’s high praise from Nick Saban.

Surprisingly we’ve come to learn virtually all of Seattle’s ‘official 30’ visits this year:

Justin Reid (S, Stanford)

Poona Ford (DT, Texas)

Maurice Hurst (DT, Texas)

Foyesade Oluokun (LB/S, Yale)

Ito Smith (RB, Southern Miss)

Keith Kirkwood (WR, Temple)

Khalid Davis (FB, Michigan)

Devron Davis (CB, UTSA)

Leighton Vander Esch (LB, Boise State)

Josh Sweat (DE, Florida State)

Cole Madison (G, Washington State)

Kyle Allen (QB, Houston)

Simeon Thomas (CB, Louisiana Lafayette)

Holton Hill (CB, Texas)

Breeland Speaks (DE, Ole Miss)

Andrew Brown (DE, Virginia)

Julian Taylor (DT, Temple)

Jacob Pugh (LB, Florida State)

Dorance Armstrong (DE, Kansas)

Ronnie Harrison (S, Alabama)

Austin Corbett (G, Nevada)

Kemoko Turay (DE, Rutgers)

Isaiah Oliver (CB, Colorado)

Billy Price (C, Ohio State)

Derrick Nnadi (DT, Florida State)

Tony Brown (CB, Alabama)

Jacob Martin (DE, Temple)

Edward Shockely (LB, Villanova)

Alex McGough (QB, FIU)

That’s a list of 29 names, provided by various reports or the players themselves.

They also had private workouts with Kalen Ballage (RB, Arizona State), Christian Kirk (WR, Texas A&M), Demone Harris (DE, Buffalo), Abdullah Anderson (DT, Bucknell) and Manase Hungalu (LB, Oregon State).

They had private meetings with Ronald Jones II (RB, USC), Nick Nelson (CB, Wisconsin), Natrell Jamerson (S, Wisconsin) and Shaquem Griffin (LB, UCF).

Just writing out these lists highlight the opportunity on offer for the Seahawks. Most of these players are expected to be second round, mid-round or late round types. Seattle can re-shape their roster in a weeks time. But they’ll need to move around to get their guys.

If you missed the Seahawkers podcast this week don’t forget to check it out. I was invited on to talk about the defensive options for Seattle. Next week we cover the offensive prospects:

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