Michael Thomas watch didn't last long at Saints camp: He was spotted right away.
Despite starting camp on the PUP list, he sprinted out to the far edge of the formation during the first set of drills and immediately caught a pass from Jameis Winston. The star WR is officially back to practice for the first time in over a year. He didn't miss a day.
Thomas had a workout earlier in the morning to decide whether he could go. It went well, so he came off the PUP list. While there's still a ways to go, it was the same high-intensity WR we've grown accustomed to over the years, and he's not cutting himself any slack. On one rep over the middle of the field the ball clunked off MT's hands. He quickly reset and ran the rep again despite that period coming to an end. He caught it the second time, but still slapped his hands together and yelled in frustration. Thomas moved well and looked healthy. The rust will come off, and there likely won't be many more drops in his future.
"You watch Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas on the field, there's nobody close to those two guys," WWL's Mike Detillier said. "They are separated and it's a wide separation of what those two can do on the football field."
It was also good day of injury news for TE Taysom Hill (lisfranc), safety Marcus Maye (achilles) and DE Payton Turner (shoulder), all of whom practiced in full for the first time this offseason. Turner had one rep lauded by his head coach after he turned the corner and had Andy Dalton lined up for what would've been a sack in live action.
The lone surprise absence was Pete Werner, who was spotted working off to the side. He suffered an injury that head coach Dennis Allen did not disclose, but said it was not one that he expected to keep the second-year linebacker out for long.
NOTABLE ABSENCES ON DAY 1
- DE Marcus Davenport (PUP)
- KR/WR Rashid Shaheed (PUP)
- DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (NFI/illness)
- S Tyrann Mathieu (excused absence)
- LB Pete Werner (injury)
A QUICK DAY
Things looked largely the same out at the Saints facility in Metairie for the first day of practice, but there was a new leader at the helm in Allen.
One notable adjustment was a shorter practice than we've seen in recent years, lasting roughly 90 minutes. It was up-tempo work with multiple sets of team drills. Allen has said previously he likes the idea of high-energy targeted work as opposed to marathon practice sessions, and that was clearly the case, at least on Day 1.
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HELMET PADS
When fans get out to practice this season, they'll notice something about the helmets worn by linemen, tight ends and linebackers. New NFL rules require those players to wear pads over their helmets, a change geared at helping to limit concussions in practice.
It's similar to the look of a rugby helmet atop the traditional gear. DE Cam Jordan said it was a noticeable difference, but not one that was limiting in any meaningful way.
TAYSOM IS EVERYWHERE
After a year of full-time quarterbacking, Taysom Hill is back into his do-it-all role. The biggest difference: He's actually practicing it.
This year he's shed his red, non-contact jersey and is working in more with the tight end group. He's also been heavily involved in special teams, both things that were indicated as big roles for him by Allen. There could, and likely still will be, snaps at the QB position for Hill, but it'll be a bit of a flipped practice regimen for one of the more intriguing pieces in the Saints offense.
"I'm going to be surprised if he's not on all special teams. ... That's very encouraging, Day 1, to have Michael Thomas and Taysom Hill out there," said WWL's Bobby Hebert.
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JUWAN JOHNSON WITH A NICE DAY
The converted WR didn't make his presence known often enough during OTAs and minicamp, but he had a few flashes on day 1 of training camp.
On one play he took a ball from Jameis Winston and flashed the speed up the sideline. Later he made a nice catch in traffic from Ian Book and powered through defenders. He's a young player with something to prove, and he took a nice step in the right direction on Wednesday.
JAMEIS BACK IN THE BRACE
A few social media videos surfaced showing Saints quarterback Jameis Winston doing offseason work without the hefty knee brace he's been wearing throughout rehab from last year's knee injury. But it was back on when he got on the field for the first practice of training camp.
The much-discussed OTA limp didn't appear, and Winston was a full-go. The team will continue to be careful with how he's ramped back up into full action, but it's clear he's healthy and confident in his ability to play on the surgically repaired left knee. Winston said at OTAs that he expected to wear the brace all season, and it appears that plan has not changed.
WHAT'S UP TOMORROW: No pads/closed to public
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