New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston is dealing with a sprained right foot at training camp.

Saints coach Dennis Allen said Jameis Winston sprained his right foot, is “day to day” and they don’t feel it’s anything significant. But he won’t play in the preseason opener.

— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) August 9, 2022

Saints head coach Dennis Allen told reporters that the 28-year-old was being evaluated after he "tweaked" his foot during practice on Aug. 8. He is also working his way back from a torn ACL suffered midway through the 2021 season.

Prior to his season-ending injury, the Saints were 5-2 in games Winston started. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,170 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.

The 2015 No. 1 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has put up big numbers throughout his NFL career, but his impressive statistics haven't led to success. He has appeared in just one playoff game, and it came in 2020 as a backup for New Orleans.

The Saints have a solid chance to achieve that this season, provided they can stay healthy.

Star wide receiver Michael Thomas is back after missing the entire 2021 season with a foot injury. Running back Alvin Kamara is also set for a hearing on battery charges stemming from an alleged assault in Las Vegas during Pro Bowl weekend. There has been no word so far on whether he will face NFL discipline.

While Winston is out, the Saints will turn to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.

The 34-year-old was a nine-year starter for the Cincinnati Bengals before spending one season each with the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.

New Orleans also has second-year signal-caller Ian Book, who appeared in one game as a rookie in 2021.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston reportedly suffered an ankle injury during Monday's practice.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the 28-year-old "rolled his ankle today and is undergoing further evaluation."

Now in his third year with the Saints, the Florida State product suffered a torn ACL last season that left him sidelined after just seven games. He signed a two-year contract to stay in New Orleans as a free agent after the team failed in its pursuit of a Deshaun Watson trade.

The Saints can move on from Winston after the 2022 season with minimal cap damage if he struggles or is unable to stay healthy, so his injury status is worth monitoring as we get closer to the beginning of the regular season.

Katherine Terrell of ESPN noted veteran Andy Dalton took over for Winston during Monday's practice following the injury.

New Orleans Saints star wide receiver Michael Thomas, who is recovering from a right ankle injury that kept him out all of last year and most of 2020, returned to 11-on-11 drills in practice Saturday for the first time since the end of the 2020 campaign, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen spoke with reporters afterward:

"Honestly there was a couple of times he ended up on the ground. That's all part of the process in building that confidence. I think he's in a good mindset right now, I think he looks good physically. I'm excited about where he's at."

Thomas played just seven games in 2020 and none at all in 2021. Per Terrell, Thomas suffered an injury during Week 1 of the 2020 season and hasn't been 100 percent since.

He had surgery to repair a torn deltoid and other injured ligaments in his ankle, which kept him out of the first half of the 2021 season.

Thomas was working on a comeback midseason, but he was ruled out for the entire year on Nov. 3 after suffering what he termed a "small setback" in his recovery.

The former Ohio State star was one of the most dominant wideouts in football over his first four seasons, which were capped by an NFL record 147 receptions in 2019. From 2016 to 2019, Thomas averaged 118 catches, 1,378 yards and eight touchdowns.

Thomas' timetable to return to game action isn't official, but seeing the superstar on the practice field is obviously a good sign. New Orleans opens the season Sept. 11 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Linebacker Kiko Alonso has reportedly decided to retire from the NFL one day after signing a contract with the New Orleans Saints.

WWL-TV's Brooke Kirchhofer reported the news Saturday.

Alonso last played during the 2019 season with the Saints. He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2020 campaign while on the physically unable to perform list and never made an appearance for the organization.

The 31-year-old Massachusetts native sat out the entire 2021 season before signing with New Orleans on Friday.

After Alonso's first and final practice with the team Friday, Saints head coach Dennis Allen said the linebacker looked physically ready to make an impact.

"We have some familiarity with the player, he did a nice job on his workout," Allen told reporters. "He was in shape, looked good. And when he's been healthy, he's been a productive player in our league. And so, that was kind of what drew us to him."

Alonso started his NFL career as a second-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2013 draft.

The University of Oregon product enjoyed a terrific rookie season with 159 total tackles, which ranked third in the league, to go along with four interceptions, four passes defended, two sacks and a forced fumble across 16 appearances.

He missed 2014 with a torn ACL suffered during an individual workout and was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 as part of a blockbuster trade for running back LeSean McCoy.

After playing one season in Philadelphia, Alonso enjoyed a resurgence during a three-year tenure with the Miami Dolphins beginning in 2016. He recorded at least 115 total tackles in every season over that period and scored his only career touchdown in a November 2016 game against the San Diego Chargers.

He wrapped up his on-field career with 31 tackles in 13 games for the Saints in 2019.

Reports out of New Orleans Saints training camp regarding the health of wide receiver Michael Thomas are hugely positive.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Thomas looked "excellent" and "awesome" in what he referred to as a "high-level practice" on Friday:

What's the feel at Saints camp?

"Michael Thomas looked EXCELLENT today.. I think the Saints are a playoff team" ~@RapSheet#PMSLive #Saints pic.twitter.com/1nj37ZBa4R

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 5, 2022

Thomas was among the NFL's best wideouts over his first four seasons, but he played in only seven games in 2020 due primarily to an ankle injury and missed the entire 2021 season after undergoing ankle surgery and experiencing a setback.

Prior to injury issues derailing things over the past two seasons, Thomas opened his career with four consecutive seasons of at least 1,100 receiving yards, earning him three Pro Bowl nods and two first-team All-Pro selections.

The 2016 second-round pick out of Ohio State first reached elite status in 2018 when he led the NFL in receptions with 125, yielding 1,405 yards and nine touchdowns.

In 2019, Thomas led the league with 149 catches and 1,725 yards, plus he scored nine times, earning him NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Before getting shut down for the remainder of the season, Thomas was limited to just 40 grabs for 438 yards and no touchdowns in seven games in 2020, which was quarterback Drew Brees' final NFL campaign.

The Saints cycled through multiple quarterbacks last season, including Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill, but none of them had Thomas to throw to.

In the wake of Sean Payton retiring as head coach, Dennis Allen has taken over, and all signs point toward him rolling with Winston as his starter under center in 2022.

While Winston is nowhere close to the quarterback Brees was during his career, he is a competent signal-caller who put up some huge numbers in 2019.

During his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards and threw 33 touchdown passes, although he also threw a league-worst 30 interceptions.

Winston helped both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans finish with over 1,000 receiving yards that season and they combined for 17 touchdowns as well. Both players were also named to the Pro Bowl.

That suggests Winston will be able to get some big numbers out of his receivers in New Orleans this season, and Thomas could be the main beneficiary.

With the return of Thomas, plus the selection of Chris Olave in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft and the signing of Jarvis Landry in free agency, the Saints' receiving corps should be greatly improved in 2022, and there is enough talent to direct some attention away from Thomas.

Currently, Thomas' ADP (average draft position) in Yahoo fantasy football drafts is 87.0, which places him in the middle of the ninth round.

Given his resume, a clean bill of health and what Winston was able to do in Tampa, Thomas could be the biggest steal in fantasy football and deliver close to WR1 production from the middle of the draft.

The New Orleans Saints are reportedly expected to sign linebacker Kiko Alonso after he worked out at team facilities Thursday.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Saints plan to "take a shot" on the veteran linebacker despite Alonso having not played a down since the 2019 season.

Alonso suffered a torn ACL during the Saints' NFC Divisional Round matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 and was not medically cleared to play during the following season. The San Francisco 49ers, who traded for Alonso in November 2020, released him after he was unable to pass a physical three weeks after the deal was completed.

Alonso sat out the 2021 season as well.

A 2013 second-round pick to the Buffalo Bills, Alonso looked like a star in the making during a stellar rookie campaign, racking up 159 tackles and winning the PFWA NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He suffered his first torn ACL while working out ahead of the 2014 season, forcing him to miss that entire campaign.

The Bills traded Alonso to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, and he struggled to find his former form and suffered a partial tear of the same ACL he tore a little more than a year prior. The Eagles moved on after only one season, sending Alonso to Miami, where he revived his career and posted three 100-tackle seasons before being sent to New Orleans ahead of the 2019 season.

For his career, Alonso has racked up 588 total tackles in 86 career games. It's likely he'll compete for a backup spot on the Saints roster over the course of training camp. That said, soon-to-be 32-year-olds with a history of significant knee issues rarely make much of an impact.

Trevor Penning has gotten off to a rocky start with the New Orleans Saints.

The rookie offensive tackle was kicked out of the team's practice on Wednesday after getting into fights on three consecutive days with Saints defenders, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk and NFL writer Dov Kleiman.

#Saints rookie 1st round pick, OL Trevor Penning, has been kicked off OTAs on Wednesday after starting a fight at practice for 3 consecutive days.https://t.co/ZYj5yMJcdg

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 3, 2022

Per Smith, defensive lineman Malcolm Roach—who Penning fought on Wednesday—was also kicked out of practice.

On Monday, Penning scrapped with defensive ends Payton Turner and Taco Charlton.

#Saints went full pads today, and first-round pick Trevor Penning no doubt enjoyed the change in training camp. Penning and Payton Turner with some extra curricular activities after the whistle. pic.twitter.com/yzdtZU8Eod

— Garland Gillen (@garlandgillen) August 1, 2022

On Tuesday, it was defensive back J.T. Gray and defensive end Scott Patchan.

Rookie offensive lineman Trevor Penning continues to make friends with the #Saints defense. First he got into with J.T. Gray, then it was Scott Pachan. pic.twitter.com/BkqpRb08Wd

— Garland Gillen (@garlandgillen) August 2, 2022

"We don't have time for that," Saints head coach Dennis Allen told reporters regarding Wednesday's fight between Penning and Roach.

There was a mixed reaction to the situation on Twitter, meanwhile:

You'd rather have a lineman being told to tone it down than ramp it up. Penning will learn how to practice over this month... But I promise the Saints love this attitude https://t.co/v2EcDi9HMf

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) August 3, 2022

Also look around the league. Brandon Aiyuk and Fred Warner went at it yesterday. It's camp. Things get chippy. All I'm saying is let's just chill for a second.

— Chris Rosvoglou (@RosvoglouReport) August 3, 2022

One of the vets needs to get with Penning and tell him to stop taking his own guys to the ground in practice. Dudes can get hurt when you tackle them into spots like this.

I get “practicing how you play”, but coaches HATE when you go to ground in practice. Just shouldn’t do it. https://t.co/HTQC5Ow8eV pic.twitter.com/LMESDwAXlm

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) August 2, 2022

"Just two competitive guys going at it," Gray told reporters about his dust-up with Penning on Tuesday. "Just giving extreme effort and going out there and holding the standard of Saints football."

Penning, 23, was the No. 19 overall pick in this year's draft, and the scouting report on him from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com noted that the young tackle "plays with a level of disgust for anyone lining up against him and seeks out violent block finishes when possible," adding that he will need to "learn to control and harness his on-field fire."

Scraps happen at training camp, but one player fighting three days in a row has to be somewhat of a concern for the Saints. Come game time, the worry will be Penning losing his cool and drawing bad penalties or being baited into fights.

A nasty streak has traditionally been a good trait for a lineman to have, but not if it regularly costs the offense 15 yards due to unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness penalties.

Back in the long-ago days of 2019, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas had one of the best seasons any wide receiver in NFL history ever has. That year, the 29-year-old led the league in both catches (149) and receiving yards (1,725). His 149 receptions were the most ever in a single season. Thomas won Offensive Player of the Year honors and was the No. 1 wideout in fantasy by over 100 PPR points. The only non-quarterback who had more points that year was Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.

Since that massive season, however, Thomas' career has followed the same disappointing trajectory as McCaffrey's. In 2020, Thomas caught just 40 passes for 438 yards over seven games in an injury-shortened season. After surgery in the summer of 2021 to repair the same ankle that hampered him the year before, Thomas missed all of last season.

Now, like McCaffrey, Thomas is trying to get his career back on track. But while fantasy managers appear willing to give McCaffrey the benefit of the doubt, Thomas' return is being met with a healthy dose of skepticism. Per the Average Draft Position Data at Fantasy Pros, Thomas is being drafted on average as a lower-end fantasy WR3 at the back end of Round 6.

Is that all Thomas is now? A marginal fantasy starter and mid-round pick whose best days are behind him? Or can Thomas turn back the clock in 2022, recapture past glories and serve as this year's Cooper Kupp—a massive value that leads fantasy managers to championships?

For the first time in a long time, there was tangible good news on the Thomas front—after opening training camp on the PUP list, Thomas was on the practice field Wednesday.

Thomas also spoke to reporters for the first time since the 2020 season, stating that it felt great to finally be back on the field.

Back 💪@Cantguardmike #Saints pic.twitter.com/XVEj15p7M7

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 27, 2022

"Man, I'm kind of lost for words," said Thomas. "I didn't want to come up here and get emotional or anything. But it was a blessing to be back out there with the guys."

Saints head coach Dennis Allen was also quite pleased to see Thomas out there, although his optimism was tempered.

"I thought he looked good," Allen said. "I think we've still gotta be smart with him as we go throughout training camp. But I thought it was a good start, having him out there on the first day. I was excited about seeing No. 13 walk out on the field. Listen, Mike Thomas wants to be out here. He wants to help this team win games. And that's his whole mindset and his whole purpose. And he's extremely driven to do that. And I think this was a good step in the right direction."

Thomas also attempted to put to rest any remaining drama over the curious timing of his ankle surgery last year.

"We can put (the 2021 surgery timetable) to rest right now. It's pretty much like when you go to a doctor, you get an opinion. You go to two doctors, one person has an opinion, another person has an opinion. You have the right to pick an opinion. So if one of the opinions is you can rehab your ankle and it should be good by camp, and I've never had surgery, then I'm gonna stick with that one. If that one doesn't work, then I'm gonna go with the second one. And that's pretty much how it worked. I don't write the opinion, I just have to pick one."

Thomas said that he's "very confident" that he will be as good as ever in 2022. And that statement may well be the most important of all for fantasy managers.

It's not like Thomas' record-setting 2019 season was the only time he's posted huge numbers. In 2018, Thomas was first in the league in receptions (125), sixth in receiving yards (1,405), 10th in touchdowns (nine) and sixth in PPR fantasy points. That year, Thomas' catch percentage was a ridiculous 85 percent.

The year before that, Thomas tallied 105 catches for 1,245 yards and five scores—numbers that once again ranked him sixth in PPR points among receivers. As a rookie in 2016, Thomas posted a 92/1,137/9 line that ranked seventh in PPR points at the position.

That's four straight 1,000-yard seasons. Four straight 90-catch seasons. And four straight years as a top-10 fantasy option. Four straight seasons from 2017-2020, Thomas had an ADP inside the top 20 overall at Fantasy Football Calculator. In 2020, he was the fifth overall pick on average.

For several years, Thomas was equal parts prolific and consistent. The gold standard among fantasy wideouts. And if he really is 100 percent (or close to it), then his absolute fantasy ceiling is back among the elite options at the position.

However, there are factors working against Thomas hitting that ceiling that go beyond his ankle. For starters, all that damage that Thomas did was with Drew Brees throwing him the ball. Jameis Winston will be leading the offense in 2022, and he's working his way back from an ACL tear of his own.

The good news in that regard is that Winston is also back on the practice field, and he told reporters that his recovery is progressing well.

"I would say I got more explosive (since minicamp)," he said. "I was good, I was ready to go right then. But it's a progression. The healing process really never stops. I feel stronger right now, but with practice increasing, I know I've got to harp on a couple of things and continue to build."

Winston has shown that he can post big numbers—back in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winston led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards. But while Winston did a much better job taking care of the football and avoiding turnovers in his seven starts for the Saints in 2021, his 167.1 passing yards per game was easily a career-low.

Part of that is attributable to a lack in receiving talent in New Orleans, and the Saints will all but certainly improve offensively through the air after ranking dead last in that regard last season. But this probably won't be an especially high-volume passing offense unless the season starts to get away from them and they are forced to play catch-up with regularity.

There's also something in New Orleans this year that wasn't for a big chunk of Thomas' statistical rampage—a viable secondary receiver. From 2016 to 2109, there was only one other wideout on the Saints' roster who topped 70 targets in a season—Brandin Cooks, with 117 in 2016. The Saints didn't spend a first-round pick on Ohio State's Chris Olave so he could watch games unfold, and given the youngster's talent level he's going to be a significant part of the Saints 'passing-game plans.

Add those factors to the fact that Thomas hasn't scored a regular-season touchdown since Dec. 22, 2019, and while a top-12 fantasy season might be possible, it isn't probable. Expecting one certainly isn't reasonable after his long layoff.

The New Orleans Saints placed Michael Thomas on the physically unable to perform list as they open training camp, according to ESPN's Field Yates.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday the team was optimistic he'll be "cleared at some point early in camp."

From @NFLTotalAccess: There is optimism surrounding the health of #Saints offensive starters QB Jameis Winston and WR Michael Thomas as they face an important camp under new coach Dennis Allen. pic.twitter.com/lY5o8jToiN

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 19, 2022

Ankle injuries kept Thomas out for the entire 2021 season. He had ankle surgery last offseason and began the regular season on the physically unable to perform list.

Even though Thomas was eligible to return from the PUP list in Week 7, he remained out of action. The 28-year-old announced on Nov. 3 he would miss the entire season because of "another small set back" in his recovery.

pic.twitter.com/cwok7uP1cd

— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) November 3, 2021

This marks the second consecutive year that ankle injuries have caused Thomas problems. He missed nine games in 2020 because of a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Prior to 2021, Thomas had been one of the most durable and productive receivers in the NFL. He averaged 117.5 receptions, 1,378 yards and eight touchdowns from 2016-19.

The Saints did find ways to adjust without Thomas in 2021. Alvin Kamara essentially filled the void as the go-to option in the 2020 season with a career-high 240 carries. They added Chris Olave with the No. 11 pick in the 2022 draft to ease the burden on Thomas.

The New Orleans Saints are optimistic about the availability of star wide receiver Michael Thomas for training camp.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported there's a belief he will be "cleared at some point early in camp."

From @NFLTotalAccess: There is optimism surrounding the health of #Saints offensive starters QB Jameis Winston and WR Michael Thomas as they face an important camp under new coach Dennis Allen. pic.twitter.com/lY5o8jToiN

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 19, 2022

Thomas was limited to seven games in 2020 because of an ankle injury. Problems with the ankle persisted and kept him out for the entire 2021 season.

Thomas set the NFL's single-season record for receptions (149) and led the league in receiving yards (1,725) in 2019. As one would expect, his absence had a significant impact on the passing game over the last two years.

That was especially true in 2021, with Drew Brees retired and Jameis Winston missing 10 games because of a torn ACL. New Orleans averaged the fewest passing yards (187.4) in the NFL.

Thomas alone wouldn't have made the Saints an elite passing outfit, but he certainly would've made life easier for Winston and the team's backup quarterbacks.

Fortunately for Saints fans, Rapoport's report also painted a positive picture of the 29-year-old's relationship with the team.

Last August, NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan reported that Thomas didn't return calls from the Saints for three months after they had decided that March on a recovery plan for his ailing ankle. They were then left to scramble when it became clear he required surgery.

Following Duncan's report, Thomas posted a cryptic message on social media:

pic.twitter.com/frSOCaKHSs

— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) August 9, 2021

Upon taking over as head coach, Dennis Allen flew out to California to meet with Thomas.

"He is one of our better players, and I think that relationship between him and I is important," he said, per The Athletic's Katherine Terrell. "I felt like it was a cool deal to go out and see him in California going through the rehab process and getting some time to visit him just personally and get to know him a little better."

After a difficult season for both parties, it appears Thomas and the Saints are on the same page again.