The regular season hasn’t even begun and the New Orleans Saints are already off to a brutal start. On Friday, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport announced that Michael Thomas is expected to miss the start of the season because of a procedure he had on his ankle.
“Saints star WR Michael Thomas is expected to miss the start of the 2021 season after undergoing surgery to repair the ligaments in his ankle in June,” Rapoport said. “Based on the timing of the surgery – and recommended 4 months of recovery – Thomas could be on the sideline for weeks.”
There’s no sugarcoating how much of a blow this is to the Saints’ offense. Thomas is, without a doubt, their best wide receiver and playmaker on the perimeter. In 2019, he shattered the single-season record for most receptions.
Unfortunately, Thomas has been weighed down by this ankle injury for the past year. He initially suffered the injury in Week 1 of the 2020 season and was never able to fully recover. Following the Saints’ playoff loss to the Buccaneers, he underwent surgery to repair a torn deltoid ligament in his ankle.
Sources: #Saints star WR Michael Thomas is expected to miss the start of the 2021 season after undergoing surgery to repair the ligaments in his ankle in June. Based on the timing of the surgery – and recommended 4 months of recovery – Thomas could be on the sideline for weeks.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 23, 2021
The past few months have been tough for the Saints, to say the least. Last week, they learned that David Onyemata was suspended for the first six games of the season. A few days later, they discovered that Thomas will need to miss the first month of the season.
Amie Just of NOLA.com had a brutally honest assessment of this offseason for New Orleans, tweeting “This offseason has been quite a disaster for the Saints.”
This offseason has been quite a disaster for the Saints https://t.co/0TbAbAm5bg
— Amie Just (@Amie_Just) July 23, 2021
The Saints have been one of the best teams in the NFL for the past four years, but this could end up being a down year for them. They’ve lost a handful of impact players in free agency, Drew Brees retired, and now Michael Thomas is expected to miss an extended period of time.
#Saints lost Drew Brees, Trey Hendrickson, Sheldon Rankins, Emmanuel Sanders, Janoris Jenkins, Jared Cook, Thomas Morstead.
Michael Thomas will miss the start of the season. David Onyemata is suspended 6 games, & Marshon Lattimore could also be suspended from his March arrest.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 23, 2021
Of course, there’s always a possibility that New Orleans overcomes the loss of Thomas.
“Missing less than a handful of games of MT might not throw the Saints into as much of a frenzy as some would imagine,” Ross Jackson of the Locked On Podcast Network said. “Considering they won without him and had inconsistent WR availability last year as well. Difference was Brees, constant is AK.”
Missing less than a handful of games of MT might not throw the #Saints into as much of a frenzy as some would imagine.
Considering they won without him and had inconsistent WR availability last year as well. Difference was Brees, constant is AK.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) July 23, 2021
The Saints should have an update on Thomas’ status as we inch closer to Week 1.
Hopefully, Thomas can make a full recovery and return to his All-Pro form at some point in the future.
The post Sports World Reacts To The Michael Thomas Injury News appeared first on The Spun.
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