What’s the latest on Michael Thomas? The New Orleans Saints’ former superstar wide receiver has lost years of the prime of his career to injuries, gutting through a complicated ankle issue that slowed him down in 2020 and sidelined him for the entire 2021 season before a broken bone in his other foot cut his 2022 campaign short.
But the Saints are optimistic that Thomas can return to form. General manager Mickey Loomis said as much Monday morning at the Saints Hall of Fame golf tournament, “Absolutely he can be. Just need to get him healthy, and he’s worked so hard at that over the last two or three years. The results haven’t been as good as we have all hoped, but it’s not because of a lack of effort or desire by him, that’s for sure.”
So when will he be back on the field? The Saints are taking it easy with several players managing health issues this offseason, including rookie running back Kendre Miller (coming off a knee injury) and tight end Foster Moreau (recovering from cancer treatment), and they aren’t going to rush Thomas into action before he’s physically ready.
Loomis echoed comments that head coach Dennis Allen made last week in the wake of news that Thomas recently had some surgical “hardware” removed from his foot, saying that the Saints expect Thomas to be ready to go for training camp in July: “Yeah I think everything’s (going) according to plan so far, and I feel very positive about it.”
At least they have a better backup plan this year in case Thomas does miss more time. They signed a veteran contested-catch receiver who’s used to working with Derek Carr in Bryan Edwards. They drafted a highly-regarded rookie who played a similar role in A.T. Perry. Another first-year pro, undrafted free agent Shaquan Davis, also has impressive potential. Signing former Pittsburgh Steelers standout James Washington would add another layer of depth, but we’ll have to wait and see whether a deal materializes.
Hopefully Thomas will continue to progress as expected and return to full participation in training camp and beyond. But if there’s another hurdle or challenge ahead, the Saints won’t be caught unprepared.
