The New Orleans Saints were still in the process of conducting physicals as of Tuesday afternoon, but still, perfect attendance is expected.
Everyone should be working "in some form or fashion" when the Saints kick off camp on Wednesday, with the first open practice on Friday, Dennis Allen said. That doesn't rule out some players being held out of full participation and working off to the side with trainers, but that remains to be seen.
One player who will definitely be a full-go, as Dennis Allen said, is Mike Thomas, possibly the most enigmatic piece of an intriguing offense led by new quarterback Derek Carr. Thomas has played in just 10 games the past three seasons due to ankle and foot injuries, but he's ready to go after getting very limited work in throughout OTAs and minicamp.
Thomas arrived on Thursday, the reporting date for players with injury designations and passed his physical.
"He’s in good shape," Allen said, "and so yea, our expectation is that Mike will be a full participant and I think ... that’s what Mike said he was going to do when he left out of here in the spring, and generally when Mike sets his mind to something he gets it done.”
Thomas got off to a scorching start in the 2022 season with 11 catches for 122 yards and 3 TDs over his first two games and appeared to have finally kicked the injury bug. That changed when he limped off the field in Carolina after suffering a dislocated toe that ultimately ended his season. There were rumblings that his time with the Saints might be at an end, but he ultimately reworked his deal and has expressed excitement to team up with Carr.
“I feel really good about Mike, where Mike’s at physically and I know where he’s always been at in terms of his ability and his competitiveness and his desire to be out there, so that’s never been in question," GM Mickey Loomis said. "It’s just, hey, can we get over these injuries and can we get his health back to the point where he can do what Mike does. And I think that’s where he’s at right now."
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AND THE REST?...
While Thomas might be a full-go, it remains to be seen exactly what amount of involvement will be had by players such as RB Kendre Miller and OL Nick Saldiveri, both of whom were held out of minicamp but have passed their physicals to return to action. The same questions could be had for G Cesar Ruiz and LT Trevor Penning, each of whom suffered Lisfranc injuries that ended their 2022 seasons and required surgery.
The Saints made a handful of signings on Tuesday, including veterans in TE Jimmy Graham and G Trai Turner, but none are a sign of injury issues, Allen said.
“We’re always looking to add, anything that we can add to our football team that can help us be better, we’re certainly looking to add that. And the word that you use is a great word and there’s going to be a lot of it throughout this training camp, is competition," Allen said. "And we feel like having a lot of competition within the team kind of brings out the best in everybody. So depth, competition, those are all things that we’re looking for.”
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Penning specifically will be a key member of the Saints to watch, with the 2022 first-round pick presumably in line to take over as the starter at LT. He got his first start in his career in the Week 18 loss to the Panthers, and drew high marks from coaches prior to the injury.
“Obviously he’s worked his tail off this offseason to get himself healthy, and that’s where he’s at right now," Allen said. "So there’s certainly a significant portion of time lost and we don’t get a chance to get those reps back. But I like where he’s at right now. And look, the thing that he needs is he needs to get out there on the practice field and get reps. And so that’ll be a process that we’ll go through throughout training camp. Look, you certainly wish he hadn’t have missed that time, but that is what it is. And now it’s his time to get out there and get some reps and get better.”