The Saints placed wide receiver Michael Thomas on injured reserve in mid-December with the idea he’d be able to return for New Orleans’ playoff run.
The wide receiver is eligible to come of IR this week, but head coach Sean Payton said he had no real update on Wednesday morning.
“I’m gonna see what this week holds,” Payton said, via Mike Triplett of ESPN. “Currently he’s still on reserve-injured. I know he’s been working at it. But we’ll get a better feel this week how he’s progressing.”
But Payton may be offering a bit of gamesmanship. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Thomas is expected to practice on Wednesday and throughout the week on a limited basis. According to Rapoport, Thomas’ status for the Sunday’s wild-card matchup with the Bears is “looking solid.”
Thomas dealt with various injuries throughout the season and caught only 40 passes for 348 yards in 2020. His time on IR was to allow his high ankle sprain to heal.