Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints will be flipping over a new chapter in the franchise’s history, as they are about to experience what life is like for them after the Drew Brees era. It’s not looking so good for them right now, though, especially with the news of wide receiver Michael Thomas being expected to miss at least the early portion of the 2021 NFL season to recuperate from an ankle injury.
Payton was visibly upset over the fact that Thomas did not go under the knife long before the team’s mandatory camp in June. Instead, Thomas got his injured ankle operated on in June when the training camp was only several weeks away.
“Well, look, it appears we're gonna have to spend some time without him. It's disappointing,” Payton said during his opening training camp videoconference before the Saints' first practice Thursday. “And we'll work through it with the other players that are here. But the surgery took place, and obviously we would've liked that to happen earlier than later. And quite honestly, it should've.”
Thomas sustained the injury in the very first week of the 2020 NFL season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and it forced him to miss multiple games scattered across the schedule.
Thomas’ absence in the early goings of the 2021 NFL season would likely leave a heavier load on the shoulders of running back Alvin Kamara. The Saints have two quarterbacks in Jameis Winston and Tayson Hill battling for the right to be Week 1 starter, but either signal-caller is not expected to be as effective under center as their predecessor.
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