Saints’ WR Michael Thomas, already ruled out for today’s game against the Seahawks due to a foot injury, is likely to be able return for next week’s game against the Bengals, per source.
Buy Saints Tickets— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 9, 2022
The 2022 season didn’t start off like Michael Thomas — and many New Orleans Saints fans — hoped. He looked like his old self in their first couple of games, bullying opposing teams’ top cornerbacks after a long-awaited return from 2020’s frustrating ankle injury. Then he was knocked out of Week 3’s game with the Carolina Panthers due to a toe injury, which has since been listed as foot issue on the injury report. Thomas traveled with the team to London but was unable to practice ahead of their Week 4 game with the Minnesota Vikings, and he’s continued to be a non-participant ahead of Week 5’s game versus the Seattle Seahawks.
Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has a Sunday morning splash report that says Thomas is targeting Week 6, saying that Thomas is “likely to be bale to return” against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. If Thomas was dealing with turf toe (and that’s the likeliest injury it could have been, though we’re guessing here) it lines up with the typical recovery timeline for a Grade 2 injury. Grade 1 turf toe, the lowest, usually clears up in about a week; Grade 3, the severest, can sideline a player for two to six months and often requires surgery — as was the case for rookie left tackle Trevor Penning.
A Grade 2 turf toe injury would have sidelined Thomas for at least two weeks — that’s how long it takes the swelling to go down so that you can even wear a shoe comfortably, much less run and cut and hit the practice field. If he’s able to at least practice on a limited basis during the week ahead, he’ll have a good chance at returning to play in Week 6’s game with Cincinnati (and his old teammate Eli Apple, who Thomas infamously worked in practice when they were in college together at Ohio State).
But the Saints have a very short turnaround in Week 7, traveling to face the Arizona Cardinals for a Thursday night kickoff. The team’s new medical staff has been cautious with most injuries so far and may not want to rush him back into playing two games in five days. It’s something to watch out for on the Week 6 injury report, but for now all eyes are on Week 5’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks.
