Saints WR Michael Thomas Has Recovered: Will His Return Be As Impactful?

The Saints had “zero concerns” about Michael Thomas coming into the season, roughly 1,100 days after his initial setback that ended his career.

Saints WR Michael Thomas Has Recovered: Will His Return Be As Impactful?

Michael Thomas, a Saints receiver, is enjoining NFL defenders, commentators, and supporters to openly express any reservations they may have about whether he can replicate the record-setting form of his most recent healthy season in 2019.

The same concern looms over Thomas every day as the Saints get ready for their opening regular-season contest against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 10 (1 p.m. ET, CBS). the person whose first four seasons of receiving 1,000+ yards (from 2016 to 2019) did.

In the New Orleans Saints’ training facility, it’s a Thursday afternoon far into the summer, when tired players are counting down the days until the start of the regular season, well past the peak of training camp.

The 30-year-old wide receiver has been selected as the day’s favorite target by Saints quarterback Derek Carr. Thomas receives three passes from him to begin the 7-on-7 exercises, and he then makes a pass to him downfield to begin the 11-on-11 practice.

Carr keeps at it, finishing off with two straight connections to Thomas in the two-minute drill. Thomas makes catch after and catch, and by the end of the day, he has 10 receptions.

Even before the ankle and foot problems that kept him sidelined for the previous three seasons, Thomas was never the quickest receiver on the field. His ability to maintain his 6-foot-3, 212-pound, muscle-bound bulk between defenders and approaching passes as well as his dexterous reach out in front of himself to snag hard-thrown balls have made him outstanding.

Will this magic happen again?

Doubters are “good for the game,” Thomas remarked during the sixth Saints training camp session on Tuesday. The statement “I like it.”

The figurative “chip” on Thomas’ shoulder, in other words, “is very big,” he remarked. “It grows every day, I feel like, but that’s a good thing about this game. You get to go out there and you get to attack someone.”

“I go hard. So, sometimes, you know, you might get injured going hard,” said Thomas, who set an NFL record for receptions in a season with 149 in 2019, when the regular season consisted of 16 games — one fewer than now.

Early on in the top receiver’s five-year, $96.3 million contract extension, Thomas’ absence was a difficult blow for the Saints to take. However, Thomas decided to sign a new, one-year deal with incentives valued between $10 million and $15 million this summer.

Although Thomas participated in some voluntary offseason workouts, he did not resume full practice until last week’s start of training camp. Thomas claimed that he has since snapped pictures at full speed and without hesitation.

 

 

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