For a moment, it looked as if Demaryius Thomas wouldn’t be on the Patriots’ sideline when their season begins Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
The wide receiver signed with New England in April before being cut after its final preseason game (one where Thomas impressed many). But N’Keal Harry was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter, opening up a spot for Thomas to re-sign with the team.
Harry is eligible to return to game action after Week 8, and Thomas is coming off his second torn Achilles, so there’s no telling exactly how he’ll perform despite having a strong preseason debut.
So, how will Thomas help the Patriots this year?
“That’s a tough question because we’re going on limited information,” Pats head coach Bill Belichick said during his Tuesday appearance on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria”, as transcribed by WEEI. “We only activated him for practice right at the end of training camp. Of course, he played in the Giants game. We have to go on what we can go on.
“I’d say the improvement that he’s shown, and the work ethic, and what he’s been able to do has been good. It’s been to the point where we feel he’ll be able to make a solid contribution for us this year. The question is, ‘Where will it go?’ I don’t know if any of us have the answer to that, but at least I know that he’ll work hard, he’s tough, and he’s a dependable player who will put everything he has into it. So, we’ll see what happens.”
We’ll see how Thomas helps the team come Sunday when the Pats open their season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET.
