By Mac Engel

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The Cowboys have not had a solution at safety since Darren Woodson, and the answer is not Earl Thomas, even if he is an upgrade over every player at that position on their roster.

By now, infant penguins in Antarctica know the safety for the Seattle Seahawks remains in a contract holdout; he wants an extension, or a trade. He’s made it no secret his desired destination is Dallas.

As badly as the Cowboys need a real player in their secondary, dealing away a first- or second-round pick for Thomas is not wise money.

A third-rounder? Let’s talk.

Seattle is not giving Thomas away for anything other than a high pick.

The former Texas Longhorn is 29 with eight NFL seasons and 121 regular-season games on his resume; once a Cal Ripken-like figure of consistency at his position, he has missed seven games combined over the last two years.

The Seahawks enjoyed Thomas’ prime years, and the Cowboys would be acquiring an older player who will continue to get old, and continue to get hurt.

Older players get older. Younger players get better.

The famous “Legion of Boom” secondary in Seattle, which Thomas was such an integral part of, is but a distant memory; Richard Sherman is now with the 49ers, and not looking great. Safety Kam Chancellor retired. Corner Brandon Browner was cut by the Seahawks in ‘16, and was charged with attempted murder in July of this year.

Thomas is the last of that special foursome to be in Seattle.

Guys who switch teams this late tend never to translate as well to their new surroundings, even if Thomas is already familiar with new Cowboys’ secondary coach Kris Richard; the two were together in Seattle.

There is no sign the Cowboys want to acquire Thomas other than for a modest price; as long as the price is high, they are better to go with Jeff Heath, Kavon Frazier and Xavier Woods than to marry Earl Thomas.

(Yes, that sentence was painful to write).

No, none of those guys is Earl Thomas, but the Cowboys know what they have in that trio, and there is at least a shot at high upside with Woods or possibly Frazier.

Of course, we keep saying that about the next safety they bring in, from Barry Church to J.J. Wilcox and a slew of guys whose names you can no longer remember. The Cowboys are still looking for their next Woodson, and they haven’t come close to finding him.

“Our guys need to be who they are and not be Darren Woodson,” Richard said. “Maybe play with his style, and prepare like he did. Our guys have speed. They are smart. They have tenacity. And they care. They care about being Dallas Cowboys.”

Woods, who was a sixth-round pick in 2017 out of Louisiana Tech, carries the chip of that draft slot like a shadow.

“To know that coaches and GMs thought that many guys were better than me motivates me,” he said. “I know what I am capable of doing and I know the guys (drafted ahead of him) weren’t (as good).”

At 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, he’s not a giant.

“Earl Thomas is in the same frame; 5-10, 205 pounds,” Richard said.

Not long after he was drafted, Woods impressed no one. After the first preseason game, the coaches noticed him.

In 16 games last season for the Cowboys as a rookie, Woods showed a little something. Maybe he can play. Maybe he can contribute the types of plays this defense has coveted from the safety spot for years.

“I do feel like I can play here,” he said.

Heath has matured from an undrafted longshot into an NFL pro, and he would get a job on a different team; he’s an amazing story, but simply limited.

Frazier has two NFL seasons on his resume with the Cowboys, and has not done a lot to distinguish himself.

There is no debating whether Thomas is a better player than the safeties on the Cowboys’ roster. He is.

The debate is whether he’s worth the heavy price that will be demanded by the Seahawks.

If it’s a third-rounder, then it’s time to talk.

If it’s a first- or a second-round pick, go with Heath and Woods and hope they develop into the playmaker this secondary needs.