A reunion for Jalen Thompson made decision to sign with Cowboys ‘much easier’ call

New Cowboys defensive back Jalen Thompson said Thursday there was a family feel when he visited the Cowboys’ facility in Frisco to sign his new three-year contract worth $33 million.

“I kind of feel like I’ve been missing that for the past seven years of my NFL career,” Thompson said. “Everybody was nice and everybody was really welcoming and it went really well.”

A familiar face from his time in Arizona might’ve helped.

Thompson will be reuniting with new Cowboys secondary coach Ryan Smith, who previously spent three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Thompson, now heading into his eighth season and first away from Arizona, said Smith was a huge reason why he decided to sign with the Cowboys on the first day of free agency.

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“Smitty is definitely a player’s coach,” Thompson said. “A coach that puts the team and the players before himself. He knows how to coach really well. Knowing that a guy like that is over here, and in an organization like this, it made the decision that much easier for me.”

The decision was an easy one for Dallas, too. Thompson has played in 100 career games. In that time he’s grabbed nine interceptions, broke up 37 passes and recorded 578 tackles. He’s also done it in a variety of ways, playing free safety, strong safety and in the slot. Thompson is expected to work closely with Smith, showing that the Cowboys view him as a versatile piece in their secondary.

Thompson believes the team has the pieces in place to make a difference. He said he’s already met Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland, safety Malik Hooker, and new defensive back P.J. Locke, who was also signed early in free agency. He also believes working with new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker will help the Cowboys turn around a defense that was worst in the NFL last year in terms of points allowed.

Thompson is also excited about the chance to try to turn this defense around under the tutelage of Smith again. Thompson said Smith was excited, too, when the deal was done between Thompson and the Cowboys. Smith then had a message for Thompson.

“It’s time to go to work now,” Thompson said Smith told him. “The last three years were kind of down years for us. We’re ready to step it up and hopefully get to that Super Bowl.”

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