New England Patriots receiver Demaryius Thomas reportedly isn't a lock to make the roster, but offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is happy to have him around.
Thomas was coming off a torn Achilles this offseason, and didn't receive much known interest before the Patriots scooped him up. McDaniels worked with Thomas back when he was the head coach of the Broncos, and he raved about him earlier this week.
“He’s a good player. Demaryius and I go back a ways and he’s a great guy. He’s a great teammate,” he said, via Ryan Hannable of WEEI.
“He works extremely hard. He’s worked hard on his rehab all year. He’s been a great influence on our entire offensive group, not just the receivers. This guy has a lot of knowledge and he’s played a lot of important games and he’s won a lot of big games and made a lot of big plays. He’s a pretty decorated player. It’s great to have him back out there and now it is just about continuing to put one day in front of the next and try to build continuity and rhythm and do the things we need to do to be ready to play when it is time to go.”
Thomas was one of the best receivers in the league for a while when he was paired with Peyton Manning, but his effectiveness has been sapped the last couple of years. Thomas wasn't himself last season, and then he suffered the torn Achilles right at the end of the year after being traded to the Texans.
He's been recovering all offseason, and finally was activated from the PUP list just recently. Even though he was activated, there have been reports that he's not guaranteed to make the roster, as he's owed only $300,000 in guaranteed money.
Thomas will turn 32 in December, and it's unclear how much he has left in the tank coming off the injury. Fortunately for him, he appears to have a very influential member of the coaching staff in his corner.
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