The New Orleans Saints held their first NFL offseason OTA session open to the media on Thursday. With training camps about two months away, fans are beginning to get excited. However, one Saints player was notably missing from the team's practice session: star wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas, who is rehabbing from ankle injuries that cost him the entire 2021 season, received an update from head coach Dennis Allen that will raise eyebrows. ESPN's Field Yates has the details.
Dennis Allen on WR Michael Thomas' rehab: "I think he's doing well in his rehab. He's not ready yet, but he's here, he's rehabbing, getting himself better and we're certainly anxious to get him out here."
Will he be ready for training camp?: "That's certainly our plan."
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 26, 2022
Per Yates, Allen said that Thomas is “not ready yet.” The Saints' plan is for Thomas to be ready for training camp in July.
Saints fans are probably wondering how in the world Thomas is “not ready yet.” The star wideout hasn't played a full season since 2019 as he has dealt with ankle injuries.
In what was a point of contention between Thomas and the Saints, he waited to get ankle surgery until two months before the season started in 2021, resulting in his placement on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
There's no doubt that Thomas is one of the NFL's very best receivers when healthy. Since entering the league in 2016, Thomas has had no less than 92 catches and 1100 yards in every full season he's played.
In 2019, he broke the NFL's single-season receptions record with 149. However, none of those past statistics will matter much if Thomas is unable to get on the field for Allen and the Saints in 2022.
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