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New Orleans Saints return to national television Monday night with a pre-season prime-time match against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This will give head coach Sean Payton another data point, and possibly final, as he decides to start either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill in the Saints’ Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers. Star wide receiver Michael Thomas will not be available to open the season with his ankle injury, further complicating the decision.
Michael Thomas ‘injury means Saints’ offense is incomplete
Whatever happens Monday night, Payton’s assessment will be incomplete. He still doesn’t have a good idea of what the post-Drew Brees offense will look like with Thomas on the pitch. It’s because Thomas hasn’t trained for over seven months due to an ankle injury that the triple Pro Bowler has completely mismanaged.
Thomas is out until October due to an injury he sustained 11 months ago. It didn’t have to be that way – and the club are not happy with the handling of the situation.
The 28-year-old wide receiver, who has nearly 6,000 receiving yards and more than 30 touchdowns in five NFL seasons, missed more than half of the 2020 campaign due to the lingering problem and club disciplinary action.
The Saints were happy that Thomas played there last fall. Still, they wanted him to have his ankle repaired in January. He refused, but when it became apparent he needed to have the damaged ligament repaired, it was far too late in the schedule to prepare him for the start of the regular season.
When did Michael Thomas get injured?
ESPN reported that the injury – which included a torn deltoid and other ligament damage – occurred in Week 1 of the season. Still, Thomas chose to play through in an attempt to win a championship in Brees’ final season.
During his in-season rehabilitation from the injury, Thomas struggled on the training ground with teammate Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, resulting in a one-game suspension and a fine.
This ultimately failed, however, and Thomas returned for the Saints’ two playoff games.
After New Orleans ended the season with a divisional-round loss to the Buccaneers, the Saints expected Thomas to fix the injury. Instead, he sought a second opinion and convinced himself that the injury would heal with rehabilitation. Thomas was not only wrong, but he would have been quiet for much of the offseason.
Injury rolls back Saints offensive
When Thomas showed up at the June minicamps, the team learned the truth. He needed surgery and would be unavailable for up to four months.
“It’s disappointing,” Payton said at the start of training camp. “We wish that had happened sooner rather than later. And quite honestly, it should have.
Thomas appeared to hit back with a cryptic tweet that read, “They tried to damage your reputation. You saved theirs by not telling your side of the story. And then a few days later he tweeted, “I’m not making threats, I’m just making a list.”
He will likely be disappointed if this list contains any teams he would like to be traded with. Things have mostly calmed down since, and there is little indication New Orleans is actively buying it.
Thomas attended the Saints’ opener against the Ravens. According to The Times-Picayune, he appears to be ahead of his rehab schedule.
With Thomas outside, the vast receiving body of the Saints is clearly diminished. Marquez Callaway (21 career catches for 231 yards) and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (3 for 46) started New Orleans’ preseason opener. Tre’Quan Smith, who has 80 career catches for 1,109 yards and 14 touchdowns, is the most accomplished of the Saints healthy recipient. He’s expected to be a big part of the squad’s rotation at the start of the season.
Adam Beasley is the NFL Insider for Pro Football Network. You can read everything Adam’s work here and follow him on Twitter @AdamHBeasley.
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