The New Orleans Saints will be without wide receiver Michael Thomas for the next four games.
According to Saints reporter Brooke Kirchhofer, Thomas will be placed on injured reserve because of the knee injury he suffered during the team’s Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The move means he cannot return until Week 16 at the earliest.
Injuries have been an issue for Thomas in recent years, although he appeared in each of the Saints’ first 10 games this season.
That is more than the three he played last season and the seven he played in 2020. He also sat out the entire 2021 campaign because of an ankle injury.
Health concerns are a major reason the Ohio State product has been unable to build on the excellent start to his NFL career. Thomas surpassed 1,100 receiving yards in each of his first four years from 2016 through 2019 and was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro selection during that span.
He was arguably the top wide receiver in the league when he was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 with 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.
Yet Thomas has not been able to regain that form because of so many physical setbacks and has 39 catches for 448 yards and one touchdown this year.
New Orleans counted on Thomas as its No. 1 option back when he was producing at an All-Pro level, but that is no longer the case. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed will be the team’s go-to options while he is sidelined, while running back Alvin Kamara also figures to be heavily involved in the aerial attack.
The Saints are in first place in the NFC South at 5-5 and may only need to play at a .500 level to win that division. As long as they can tread water with Thomas sidelined, they should still be in the playoff race when he is set to return.
