NEWS

Professional football is an ever-evolving game.

Once dominated by bruising running backs and smashmouth play styles, the NFL has become a league driven by skilled and intelligent quarterbacks who choreograph explosive passing attacks.

While finding that franchise QB is still priority No. 1 for most teams, the success of the defensive-minded Seattle Seahawks in their run to the Super Bowl XLVIII title is powering yet another change in the NFL tides.

The Hawks’ infamous Legion of Boom secondary was anchored in the back end by their All-Pro safety Earl Thomas. And thanks to ET and the LOB, the value of the defensive back is as high as ever.

With phenomenal range, closing speed, anticipation and tackling ability, ET III kept “Area 29” as clean as possible. While he took care of the deep part of Seattle’s defensive backfield, it allowed the rest of the defense to turn up the aggression.

The Hawks’ front seven pinned its ears back and harassed those coveted franchise QBs, while their physical corners sabotaged the timing of the opposing passing game, ending plays before they even began.

The results: 28 interceptions, 172 passing yards and 273.6 total yards per game allowed—all league highs—and, of course, the Lombardi Trophy sitting at CenturyLink Field.

The season culminated with Seattle suffocating future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and the vaunted offense of the Denver Broncos in a Super Bowl blowout.

And this offseason, it has been clear that teams around the league have taken notice of the Seattle blueprint.

This includes the Seahawks themselves, who prioritized contract extensions for Earl and his All-Pro teammate, cornerback Richard Sherman.

Meanwhile, several other teams are following suit. The New Orleans Saints made the first major safety signing of the offseason, pulling in All-Pro free safety Jairus Byrd—a former Buffalo Bill who is cut from the same physical mold as ET.

When Byrd signed in NOLA, he became the highest-paid safety in NFL history. But the Saint had his title taken just over a month later when Earl’s extension made him the highest paid player at his position. Sherman did the same at cornerback, though he was recently usurped by Cleveland’s Joe Haden.

San Francisco, Seattle’s top NFC West rival, followed suit the day after New Orleans signed Byrd, inking former Pro Bowl safety Antoine Bethea to a healthy contract of his own.

The 49ers saw first-hand what the Seattle secondary can do in the postseason. In the NFC title game, Sherman knocked down the pass that would’ve sent the Niners to the Super Bowl.

When the draft came, it seemed like every team in the league was looking for its No. 29 and its LOB.

Nine total defensive backs, including four safeties, were drafted in the first round alone. That’s up from the three safeties and seven total DBs taken in Round 1 last year—and it’s more than double the two safeties and four secondary players selected in 2012’s first round.

San Francisco and another NFC West rival, Arizona, each selected a safety in Round 1 this year. St. Louis followed suit early in the second round, taking Florida State standout Lamarcus Joyner. After taking Joyner, the Rams went on to select three more defensive backs before the draft was over.

After taking Jimmie Ward from Northern Illinois with their first pick, the Niners also took three more DBs in the latter rounds.

In 2012 and 2013, the Niners made the only first-round defensive back selection among Seattle’s NFC West rivals, taking LSU’s Eric Reid. In that span, none of the three West clubs took more than two defensive backs in a single draft.

It remains to be seen if the next ET III is in this year’s crowded group. But one thing is certain: The original No. 29 is still here, and the rest of the league knows what a player like Earl can do for a franchise.