The wait isn't over quite yet when it comes to seeing Michael Thomas back on the practice field for the first time in more than a year.
But Dennis Allen kept things simple in regard to when he expects that to happen.
"Soon," the Saints head coach said, addressing the media a day before his team takes the field for practice. "Feel good about it."
Saints GM Mickey Loomis struck the same chord, indicating that despite Thomas beginning camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, he isn't expected to be there for very long. Thomas has been at the facility rehabbing throughout the offseason, and participated in the team's media day as players reported for camp.
Thomas has been sharing videos of his workouts periodically, demonstrating progressively difficult route-running. He's simply not a "full go" yet, Loomis said. The offseason PUP rules allow a player to come off the list at any point, so his return can come whenever he's ready to get out on the field.
Allen said he and Thomas had a good conversation earlier in the day.
"I like where Mike Thomas is," he said. "Certainly I’d love there not to be any issues at all but that’s not the nature of what we’re dealing with right here. I feel like, and we all feel like, it won’t be very long before we see him out there on the practice field and start working him back in and getting him ready for the season.”
And even with the mystery surrounding Thomas, there was positive injury news relayed. As it pertains to the other player beginning camp on the PUP list, Marcus Davenport, it's less about injury than it is about missing offseason conditioning work. He was working back from a partial amputation of his left pinky as well as a shoulder surgery, and it was more about caution than anything else.
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As far as safety Marcus Maye (Achilles) and Taysom Hill (Lisfranc)? They're "ready to go," Loomis said.
Practices kick off on Wednesday, with the first practice open to fans scheduled for July 30. The lone other player not expected to be on the field to start camp is Tyrann Mathieu, who was excused from the team to attend to an undisclosed family issue.