The Facts: Thomas will remain with the Saints this year after reworking his contract with the team, but it remains to be seen how much he will be able to help the team on the field after a run of injuries have kept him on the sideline for almost all of the last three seasons. Thomas missed nine games in 2020 and all of the 2021 season due to ankle injuries and he was limited to three games last season because of a toe injury that required him to have surgery. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said this week that Thomas is still recovering from that injury and that the team is going to remain conservative with his return timetable in order to ensure he’s fully healthy when he gets back on the field.

Diehards Line:“I don’t want to get into specifics on that, but yet, he’s making progress in the recovery,” Allen said, via the team’s website. “He’s not 100 percent, and we’re going to be cautious with it and take our time. We don’t want to put him out there until he’s 100 percent. ... I expect him to be fully healthy and ready to go. When that point is, I don’t want to get into those speculations. But we feel good about where he’s at. ...” Allen said that he thinks the acquisition of quarterback Derek Carr was a big factor in Thomas working out a way to remain with the Saints and Carr’s chances of a successful debut in New Orleans will look better with a healthy Thomas catching his passes.