Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The New Orleans Saints received another tough update on star wideout Michael Thomas, as he was placed on the COVID-19/reserve list on Tuesday.
The Ohio State product was already on the PUP list, keeping him out for the first five weeks of the season. While going through the league’s COVID-19 protocol hopefully won’t add any additional time out, it does make his recovery from ankle surgery tougher as he won’t be able to be in the Saints facility or have contact with team trainers in the meantime.
Thomas underwent surgery in the offseason from a nagging ankle injury. Saints coach Sean Payton was clearly unhappy with how late in training camp Thomas received the surgery, even blatantly admitting as much to the press.
“Obviously we would’ve liked that to happen earlier than later. And quite honestly, it should’ve,” Payton said, per ESPN.
Saints: Michael Thomas update less than ideal as he recovers
It’s unknown if Thomas is vaccinated against COVID-19. If he is, he’ll have to test negative for the virus for two consecutive tests before he’s allowed back with the team. If not, the process is a little more complicated.
Thomas is routinely called out for his lack of deep-threat ability, but he’s still one of the best short-passing targets in the NFL and would be a valuable weapon for new Saints starter Jameis Winston.
Instead, he’s on the bench for at least five weeks and now has to recover from COVID-19. Hopefully, he’ll be okay and can back in recovery mode.