It's no secret that veteran wide receiver Michael Thomas can be integral to the success of the New Orleans Saints after posting four consecutive 1,00o-yard seasons in the first four seasons of his career. However, the 3-time Pro Bowler has been hampered by injuries ever since, including a 2022 campaign that saw him return from a two-year battle with an ankle injury only to go down with a season ending toe-injury after just three games.

Consequently, expectations around Thomas have been adjusted accordingly, and players like 23-year-old Chris Olave and 24-year-old Rashid Shaheed are more reliable wideouts than the veteran. Dynamic pieces like Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara have become key pieces of the offense.

Nonetheless, the Saints — and Who Dat Nation — would like to believe that Thomas can not only return to full health but return to form.

As of now, their focus is all but limited to the immediate future, which could be wise given his recent injury history. To that point, Saints head coach Dennis Allen says that he expects Thomas to be a full participant when training camp begins on tomorrow on Jul. 26.

“Our expectation is that Mike [Thomas] will be a full participant,” Allen tells reporters. “I think, if I'm not mistaken, that's what Mike said he was gonna do when he left out of here in the spring and generally when Mike sets his mind at something, he gets it done.”

The Saints went just 7-10 last season and will look to improve upon that record in 2023, with Thomas back on the field and Derek Carr having his debut season in New Orleans.