Saints’ Michael Thomas, Marcus Davenport on PUP list

The New Orleans Saints have been dealt two injury blows, one on each side of the ball.

Per the NFL transaction wire, New Orleans placed wide receiver Michael Thomas (ankle) and defensive end Marcus Davenport (finger) on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Thursday.

Thomas, 29, didn’t appear in a game for the Saints last season due to ankle surgery. He last appeared in a game for the Saints in December 2020. In Thomas’ last full season (2019), he logged an NFL-high 1,725 receiving yards on 149 receptions to go along with nine touchdowns. 

New Orleans added to its wide receiver room this offseason, signing former Cleveland Browns wideout Jarvis Landry and selecting Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave with one of their two first-round draft picks (11). They selected Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning with the No. 19 overall pick in the wake of tackle Terron Armstead signing with the Miami Dolphins.

Davenport was limited to 11 games last season due to a shoulder injury. He logged a career-high nine sacks, nine tackles for loss and three forced fumbles across those 11 games. Across his four-year NFL career, Davenport has 21 sacks, 23 tackles for loss and seven forced fumbles.

New Orleans finished the 2021 NFL regular season 9-8, which was good for second place in the NFC South. However, the Saints were edged out by the Philadelphia Eagles for the third NFC Wild Card. 

Head coach Sean Payton stepped down from his post after the regular season with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who coached the Saints in their Week 15 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, succeeding Payton.