When will New Orleans Saints star Michael Thomas return to action?

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas continues to rehab his ankle injury

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas had postponed his ankle surgery to June earlier this year. It had caused problems with the Saints.

Thomas has not featured in the Saints’ preseason campaign as he continues his rehabilitation from ankle surgery. The star wide receiver is expected to return to the field in early-to-mid October. He could be active in the Saints’ Week 5 clash against the Washington Football Team.

New Orleans still has a sour taste in their mouths when it comes to Thomas' injury. The All-Pro wideout suffered his injury 11 months ago.

Where does Michael Thomas' injury situation stand? @Stephania_ESPN provides some clarity: pic.twitter.com/tAvYGWVe8A

— Fantasy Focus Live (@fantasyfocus) August 17, 2021

That's a significant loss for the New Orleans Saints offense. The Saints are still searching for their starting quarterback after Drew Brees announced his retirement.

Head coach Sean Payton will have to find a go-to guy for either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill as Michael Thomas recovers. Here's a quick look at the Michael Thomas-New Orleans Saints dilemma.

The Saints star

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What is the New Orleans Saints offense missing without Michael Thomas?

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas is one of the best WRs in the NFL when healthy.

Michael Thomas is one of the best wideouts in the NFL when he's healthy. Entering his sixth NFL season, Michael Thomas has caught 510 passes for 5,950 yards and 32 touchdowns. Before his injury-plagued 2020 season, Thomas posted four straight seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards.

Michael Thomas after seeing Jameis Winston’s 1st quarter performance. pic.twitter.com/89O1F53Bzb

— John Bauer (@TheBauerClub) August 24, 2021

The New Orleans Saints have other weapons on offense. It's hard to find a player that can put up the same numbers as Thomas outside of Alvin Kamara. The Saints are counting down the days until Michael Thomas can return at 100%.

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What happened between Michael Thomas and the Saints?

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas isn't expected back until October

There was a brief moment this offseason when the Saints fan base thought Michael Thomas could be on the move. It seems as if things have calmed down in New Orleans since, but there's still some tension over the way Thomas handled his injury.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke to reporters during training camp about Michael Thomas' injury. Payton expressed how he felt about Michael Thomas' absence.

"It's disappointing. We would have liked it to have happened earlier rather than later. And quite honestly, it should have."

That brought a reaction from Michael Thomas. The Saints wideout posted a cryptic message on his Twitter account:

"They tried to damage your reputation. You saved theirs by not telling your side of the story."

A couple of days after posting that, Michael Thomas mentioned that he was threatening the Saints. It now remains to be seen what happens in the new season.