It sounds like Michael Thomas has taken a significant step in his recovery from a lingering ankle injury. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football passes along a video (on Twitter) of Thomas running routes.

The last time we saw Thomas on the field was during the 2020 divisional round. We heard last month that the wideout had progressed to running sprints, so it’s a positive development that Thomas is now participating in football drills.

Thomas skipped Saints minicamp as he continued to rehab his ankle injury, and the organization made it abundantly clear that they didn’t want Thomas to practice until he was 100 percent. Still, there’s been some optimism that he could return to the practice field sooner than later. The Saints have expected him back at training camp for a bit now, and this latest video (coupled with the report about the WR running sprints) should only reinforce that return date.

The receiver’s lengthy absence stems from a high ankle sprain suffered during the Saints’ 2020 season opener. The injury continued to linger, and while the Saints wanted Thomas to immediately go under the knife once the season ended, the player decided to hold off on surgery until last summer. The subsequent rehab plus a new ankle injury derailed any chance that he’d be able to return for the 2021 campaign.

Over the past two years, Thomas has missed 26 total games.The last time the wideout was fully healthy, he was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year after hauling in 149 receptions for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Saints’ reassembled receiving corps represents one of this position’s top storylines — amid an offseason loaded with wideout intrigue — going into training camp. Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry are set to complement Michael Thomas for what stands to be one of the NFL’s most improved position groups.

But the Saints continue to wait on their All-Pro target. Although it has been since November when Thomas shut down his rehab effort to return for the 2021 season, the ankle issue he is rehabbing is likely to keep him out of the team’s minicamp next week, Dennis Allen said (via NOLA.com’s Amie Just, on Twitter). Thomas has not played since the 2020 divisional round, and even that wrapped an injury-plagued season, raising the anticipation for the seventh-year standout’s re-emergence.

While it can be interpreted as concerning Thomas is not yet ready to participate in a 2022 minicamp, given how long it has been since he was last at full strength, Allen said he wants the two-time All-Pro at 100% before he returns, via The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell (on Twitter). Thomas, 29, has progressed to running sprints, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football relays (via Twitter), and the Saints have expected him back at training camp for a bit now. Still, the lengthy stretch since New Orleans’ top target was at 100% places his career at a crossroads.

After missing just two games from 2016-19, Thomas suffered a high ankle sprain in the Saints’ 2020 opener. He then encountered a midseason hamstring injury, but the ankle trouble lingered into 2021. Thomas held off on undergoing ankle surgery until summer 2021 — months after the Saints wanted that operation to take place — and ran into a new ankle injury during the ’21 season. He has missed 26 games over the past two seasons. The Saints still managed to finish 9-8 last season, but they obviously missed Thomas, who finished his last healthy season as the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Restructures have knocked Thomas’ 2022 base salary down to barely $1MM, but his cap number jumps from $13MM in 2022 to $28.3MM in 2023. Another injury-limited season would lead to conversations about a 2023 release, which would need to be a post-June 1 designation. For now, the Saints are preparing for a regular-season opener featuring a recovered Jameis Winston targeting a recovered Thomas and his new-look supporting cast. Thomas’ extended hiatus and Winston not being ready just yet provide additional barriers to this reality, creating a high-variance outlook for this season’s New Orleans offense.

New Orleans reloaded its receiving corps this offseason, making multiple trade-up maneuvers to land Chris Olave in Round 1 and signing Jarvis Landry shortly after the draft. The Saints’ receiver puzzle, however, still hinges on Michael Thomas‘ availability.

The two-time All-Pro has not played since the 2020 season, and that featured multiple injuries and an unremarkable stat line. Thomas shut down his potential midseason 2021 return, citing a setback in his recovery from a later-than-expected ankle surgery. As the Saints wind down their first week of OTAs, Thomas is not yet ready to go. Dennis Allen said Thursday the team is targeting a Thomas training camp return, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

“I think he’s doing well in his rehab. He’s not ready yet, but he’s here, he’s rehabbing, getting himself better and we’re certainly anxious to get him out here,” Allen said, via ESPN’s Mike Triplett. “I know that he’s working his tail off to get himself back. And we feel good about where he’s at right now.”

Thomas ripped off four straight 1,100-plus-yard receiving seasons to start his career and broke Marvin Harrison‘s 17-year-old single-season reception record in 2019, when he caught 149 passes. He earned first-team All-Pro acclaim for his work that season and in 2018. Thomas’ 2018 slate led to him signing a five-year, $96.25MM extension ahead of the ’19 season. Although the Ohio State product delivered in Year 1 of that deal, just about everything else since the agreement has gone off track.

Entering 2020, Thomas had missed just two career games. Then, in Week 1 of that season, a high ankle sprain — coupled with a midseason hamstring injury — changed everything. The Saints then urged Thomas to undergo offseason ankle surgery ASAP, but he waited until last summer to go under the knife. In early November, Thomas announced his latest setback — one that has led to this point.

The 29-year-old standout suddenly faces some health-related pressure. The Saints held off on trading Thomas, despite his wayward 2020s and Sean Payton‘s departure, but 2022 stands to be a pivotal season for him. Thanks to multiple restructuring, the Saints do not have a viable path to cutting Thomas for notable savings until 2024.

The Saints certainly missed Thomas last season, when they featured no players with 700-plus receiving yards, and moved aggressively to add some supporting-cast talent. Of course, Olave and Landry double as Thomas insurance. A Saints receiver cadre of Thomas, Landry, Olave, Marquez Callaway and the recently re-signed Tre’Quan Smith would be one of the NFL’s best. But that reality cannot be counted on just yet.

To say the Saints’ Michael Thomas extension has not worked out is probably putting it mildly. The star wide receiver missed all of last season and, due to injuries in 2020, has not been on the All-Pro level in the past two years.

Despite Thomas upsetting Saints brass by delaying an offseason ankle surgery last year, he remains in the team’s 2022 plans, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). After spending extensive time in New York rehabbing, Thomas has returned to New Orleans and has been in communication with the team. While this does not necessarily guarantee the veteran pass catcher will be with the Saints next season, the team could certainly use him.

The Saints struggled for most of this past season at receiver, having cut Emmanuel Sanders and seen Thomas suffer a setback that prevented him from playing at all during the year. Thomas, who will turn 29 in March, has two first-team All-Pro seasons on his resume. Both, of course, came during Drew Brees‘ New Orleans tenure. The Saints are entering a second straight offseason with uncertainty at quarterback, but a Thomas return would do a lot to help the team’s passing attack — if the former second-round pick can stay healthy.

Thomas led the league in receptions in 2018 and ’19, breaking Marvin Harrison‘s single-season record by catching 149 passes during the latter season, but has missed 26 games since the start of the 2020 campaign. He is attached to a $15.35MM base salary in 2022. Thomas’ cap number is also set to spike from $10MM to more than $24MM next season.

The Saints are once again on their own tier in terms of cap compliance, or lack thereof, sitting more than $70MM over the projected 2022 cap. Thomas already converted part of his 2021 salary into a bonus to help New Orleans’ cap situation, moving more money onto the final three years of his five-year, $96.25MM deal. The only way a trade would not crush the Saints in terms of dead money would be if it came after June 1, a la the Falcons’ Julio Jones deal last year. New Orleans would save $15.8MM by trading Thomas after that key date.

With or without Thomas, the receiver position figures to be one the Saints target early in the draft. New Orleans did not see any of its pass catchers top 700 yards last season, with Marquez Callaway‘s 698 leading the team.

Michael Thomas‘ season is over. On Wednesday, the Saints star announced that he will not be able to return from his multiple ankle injuries in 2021. 

“I’ve always been a man of faith and these past few months my faith has truly been tested,” Thomas tweeted. “As many of you know, early last season I injured my ankle and worked extremely hard over the next few months to get back in time to finish the season. Unfortunately, the rehab didn’t go as planned and earlier this offseason it was apparent I would need to have a procedure to repair the injury.

“Since then, the team and I have worked diligently, day and night to rehab and get me back on the field. Unfortunately, there has been another small setback which we will have to address. To my displeasure, I will not be able to make it back in time for this season but will do everything in my power to get back to the player I have always been.”

Thomas fought through ankle trouble last year but still only managed to suit up for seven games. The Saints then urged him to undergo surgery ASAP, but he waited until the summer to go under the knife. That course of action didn’t pay off — Thomas will have to spend the remainder of the year rehabbing with an eye on 2022.

The wide receiver likely knew his season was over sometime before today. Ditto for the Saints, who worked diligently to trade for a wide receiver before Tuesday’s deadline. Had the rest of the league known Thomas’ status, the asking price would have been significantly higher. Turns out, the market was already too rich for the Saints’ blood — they tried to deal for Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and others, but couldn’t make a deal before the buzzer.

Entering 2020, Thomas had missed just two career games. Then, in Week 1 of last year, Thomas’ high ankle sprain — coupled with a mid-season hamstring injury — changed everything. The last couple of years have been tumultuous to say the least. Health aside, the Saints also had to bench Thomas after he struck a teammate in practice.

Thomas capped his 2020 with just 40 catches for 438 yards, plus five receptions for 73 yards and one score in the Saints’ playoff win over the Bears. This year, he’ll close with a 0/0/0 line. Thanks to his five-year, $100MM deal, he remains under club control through 2024.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is dealing with a new ankle malady, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). That would help to explain why the Saints explored trades for wide receivers on Tuesday, including Browns star Odell Beckham Jr.

[RELATED: Saints Tried To Trade For OBJ]

Thomas recently became eligible to return off of the PUP list, but it’s not clear when he’ll actually be able to suit up. Even with Tre’Quan Smith back in action, the Saints’ offense clearly misses Thomas. Marquez Callaway currently stands as the Saints’ top receiver with 284 yards, ahead of Smith, Deonte Harris, Ty Montgomery, Kenny Stills, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (currently on the COVID list).

Thomas’ original ankle injury limited him to seven games last year, a disappointing follow-up to consecutive first-team All-Pro seasons, including 2019 when he set the all-time single-season reception record with 149 grabs.

Meanwhile, the Saints will also be without quarterback Jameis Winston for the rest of the season. That’ll leave either Trevor Siemian or Taysom Hill under center — not old foe Cam Newton or the retired Drew Brees.