Saints biggest offensive weapon finally appears to be fully healthy

The New Orleans Saints have a new starting quarterback. It also appears that wide receiver  Michael Thomas is ready to make his presence felt again.

There was nothing but positives when it came to the first of the New Orleans Saints second-round picks in 2016. One-time Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas caught 92 passes for 1,137 yards and nine scores.

Things would only get better for the former Buckeye. His number would increase with each passing year. Thomas totaled 104, 125, and an NFL-record 149 receptions, respectively, over the next three seasons. Those grabs added up to 1,245, 1,405, and a league-high 1,725 yards.

These are amazing totals. In his first four seasons combined, Thomas amassed 470 catches for 5,512 yards and 32 touchdowns. There would be three straight Pro Bowl invitations from 2017-19. The reliable wideout earned All-Pro honors in 2018 and ’19, and that latter year would also result in the Saints’ star being named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Then came the injury bug. It bit Thomas in numerous ways. He played only seven games in 2020 and missed all of 2021 due to an ankle problem. He got off to a solid start this past season, catching 16 passes for 171 yards and three scores in the club’s first three contests. However, he would not play in another game for the remainder of the season.

Now it’s 2023 and there seems to be optimism surrounding the 30-year-old wideout.

The Saints are coming off ahighly-disappointing 7-10 campaign, the team’s first losing season since 2016. The offense was mediocre at best and Dennis Allen’s club turned over the ball 25 times. The franchise signed former Raiders’ signal-caller Derek Carr this offseason after he was cut loose by Las Vegas.

A healthy Thomas is huge news for a wide receiving corps that already includes veteran Tre’Quan Smith as well as another former Buckeye in 2022 first-round pick Chris Olave. The latter led the team this past season with 72 catches and 1,042 receiving yards, totaling four touchdowns.

If Thomas can recapture any of that former All-Pro form, the Saints’ offense could rebound from a problem-plagued showing.