Wednesday was a big day for Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas.
Thomas missed all of last season after having ankle surgery last June and then having another operating in November to address an injury that had been bothering him since early in the 2020 season. He remained out through the team’s offseason program, but finally took his first steps back onto the practice field as the team held their first practice of training camp.
Thomas didn’t do team drills, but did all other work and showed no signs of being limited by the ankle, which was cause for him to be in a reflective mood about how far he’s come since this time last year.
“Man, I’m kind of lost for words,” Thomas said, via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “I didn’t want to come up here and get emotional or anything. But it was a blessing to be back out there with the guys. . . . Everybody loves somebody that comes back from adversity. I feel like a lot of people in this world can learn from that. It’s better to have some adversity than not have some adversity, just to show how you respond. I think it shows a lot of character, it shows the type of man you are. And, I mean, I love playing football.”
Thomas said he’s “very confident” that he’ll get back to producing at a high level because he remained productive while playing hurt in 2020. That would be a welcome development in New Orleans this fall.