Michael Thomas has suffered yet another injury setback.
The former Ohio State wide receiver was placed on injured reserve by the New Orleans Saints on Thursday due to a dislocated toe that will require him to undergo surgery, and Saints coach Dennis Allen told reporters that he does not expect Thomas to be able to play again this year.
Dennis Allen stressed that Michael Thomas has been an outstanding teammate and has worked his tail off to try and get back from the toe injury, but it didnt heal the way everyone was hoping it would. They were hoping he could play through it with rest and rehab.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) November 3, 2022
Thomas initially injured his toe during the Saints’ third game of this season. Before his injury, Thomas appeared to be back to his usual form, catching 16 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns.
Injuries have been the story for Thomas for the past three years, however, as he has played only 10 games since the start of the 2020 season. He missed the entire 2021 season due to an ankle injury that also plagued him in 2020.
Before that injury, Thomas appeared to be on a trajectory toward a potential Hall of Fame career, as he set an NFL record in 2019 with 149 catches, on which he gained 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns. In his first four NFL seasons, Thomas caught 470 passes for 5,512 yards and 32 touchdowns, setting records for the most receptions and receiving yards in an NFL player’s first four years.
If he is unable to return this season, Thomas will enter his age-30 season in 2023 having caught only 56 passes for 609 yards and three touchdowns over his last three seasons.
