\There was a bit of surprise to the New Orleans Saints ruling out wide receiver Michael Thomas from Week 15’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday’s final injury report, but now the other shoe has dropped: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Thomas will be designated to the injured reserve list, sidelining him for the rest of the regular season.
Thomas has been frustrated by the high-ankle sprain he suffered back in Week 1 all year long, initially missing an extended stretch while avoiding I.R. in hopes that rest would allow him to return after a few weeks. But the issue has continued longer than he or the Saints training staff expected, so they’re now putting him on ice until the playoffs begin in January.
It’s a huge disappointment, no matter how you spin it. Thomas set the NFL all-time record for receptions in a single season in 2019, earning recognition as the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. But this injury has been a serious problem for him in 2020, and now we’ll be hoping he can return for the postseason.
Saints’ WR Michael Thomas is being placed on injured reserve due to the ankle injury that has lingered since Week One.
Saints now will be without Thomas for the rest of the regular season, but they expect him close to 100 percent for the start of the postseason.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 19, 2020
