A potentially encouraging development for the New Orleans Saints: Wide receiver Michael Thomas is practicing on Wednesday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. While it's only limited practice, the star wideout will ramp things up during the week and is looking like a good bet to play against the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round after going on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
The Saints (12-4) host the Chicago Bears (8-8) at the Superdome on Sunday (4:40 p.m. ET).
Thomas missed the final three games of the season after being placed on IR. All along, the Saints' plan was to give Thomas' ankle extra time to heal before the postseason.
New Orleans head coach Sean Payton declined to provide an update on Thomas:
“No updates injury-wise,” Payton said on Wednesday, via Mike Triplett of ESPN. “I'm gonna see what this week holds. 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.”
Until Thomas is formally taken off IR, the team is not required to divulge his practice status on the weekly injury report.
Coming off a record-setting 2019 season in which Thomas recorded 149 catches and 1,725 yards on his way to winning Offensive Player of the Year, the Saints WR has been limited to just seven appearances in 2020 due to ankle and hamstring injuries (plus a one-game suspension).
Thomas, not surprisingly, has been a stud in five career playoff games. He's averaging 98.6 receiving yards in the playoffs, the third-highest postseason YPG average for a receiver in league history, behind future Hall of Famers Larry Fitzgerald (104.7) and Julio Jones (104.3), with a minimum of three starts.
The Saints are also hoping star running back Alvin Kamara will also be back in the fold after he recently tested positive for COVID-19.
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