“I don’t expect him to be on there long,” – Mickey Loomis on Michael Thomas being on PUP to start camp #SaintsCamp pic.twitter.com/ParDbyH7Fq
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 26, 2022
Big investments at wide receiver were highlights of the New Orleans Saints offseason, with the twin arrivals of Jarvis Landry (in free agency) and Chris Olave (through the 2022 draft) adding a lot of firepower to the team’s weakest unit. But the biggest boost to the receiving corps could come from an almost-forgotten player: Michael Thomas, who has missed most of two years to a complicated ankle injury and prolonged recovery.
Things sparked up last week when Thomas opened Saints training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which would keep him sidelined while teammates get to work in practice. But on Tuesday general manager Mickey Loomis offered some an optimistic update on the status of one of New Orleans’ best players.
“I don’t expect him to be on there very long,” Loomis said of Thomas landing on the PUP list, adding, “Just not quite ready to be full-go yet.”
When asked if Thomas had experienced any kind of setback in recovery, Loomis clarified: “No, not at all.”
So that’s good news. The sooner Thomas can receive the green light to fully participate in drills and practice, the better. Jameis Winston has completed just one pass to Thomas in his NFL career. Getting those two on the same page in August will pay off in January.
As for other players managing injuries: defensive end Marcus Davenport joined Thomas on the PUP list while recovering from a couple of offseason surgeries that limited the conditioning work he was able to do over the summer. Rookie wide receiver Rashid Shaheed is working his way back from the non-football injury list, as are tight end Nick Vannett and defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon. Loomis shared that both quarterback-turned-tight end Taysom Hill and safety Marcus Maye are “ready to go” for training camp. The Saints should have all hands on deck before much longer.
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