The Saints had listed receiver Michael Thomas as questionable for Monday night’s game against the Chargers, four weeks and a day after he suffered a high ankle sprain.
The Saints will now rule Thomas out.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Saints will downgrade Thomas today. It’s an unusual move, given that the Saints are the home team. Because he was listed as questionable on Saturday, the Saints could have waited until tomorrow night and made Thomas inactive for the game.
The move could be aimed at protecting the intensely competitive Thomas from himself. By ending it now, he can’t make an aggressive effort on Monday to change anyone’s mind.