Aaron Donald’s return to the Los Angeles Rams and Odell Beckham Jr.’s comeback with the New York Giants has Saints fans doing the natural thing: spinning up their own dream reunion list.
The Times Picayune’s Rod Walker leaned into the conversation and asked New Orleans fans which former Saint they would bring back, with one catch - the player has to be under 40 and out of the league. He also set one more rule: if Michael Thomas is your answer, you need to name a second player too.
The question got straight to the heart of the matter, because for plenty of Saints fans, Thomas is the obvious pick.
That choice has nothing to do with what the current roster looks like and everything to do with what Thomas was at his best. The Saints’ receiver room simply hasn’t had that kind of talent and ceiling in years. There isn’t another Michael Thomas in it.
A healthy Thomas paired with Chris Olave would have been the ideal scenario, but that version of the partnership never really happened. They were on the field together for three games in 2022 and 10 games in 2023, and none of those appearances came with Thomas anywhere near peak form.
Even with Olave and Jordyn Tyson in the mix, Thomas still stands out as the kind of player too valuable to pass up in a hypothetical. He’d bring a dependable No. 1 target, and the idea of him working with Tyler Shough would shut down the old claim that Thomas can’t threaten defenses downfield.
What Thomas would add is simple: a true alpha receiver who can win in any situation. His hands were as reliable as they come, and he was always more than just a possession target. He was an underrated route runner and a real factor after the catch.
There’s also a strong case that, outside of Drew Brees, Thomas has the highest peak of any Saint this century, if not the best career argument.
But because Walker asked for a second name if Thomas was the choice, Ryan Ramczyk fits the bill.
That selection isn’t a knock on the current right tackle situation. Taliese Fuaga can be a solid starter there, but this is a massive year for him after a sophomore slump that put him in a spot where he needs to answer in Year 3.
Ramczyk gets the nod over Terron Armstead for one reason: Kelvin Banks Jr.’s stock is higher right now. That makes Ramczyk, a former All-Pro, the cleaner fit in this exercise.
The only real issue late in Ramczyk’s career was health, and in a fantasy return scenario, that problem gets erased.
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Saints Quarterback Future Just Became The NFC South's Biggest Debate
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For New Orleans, the biggest question sits at quarterback, where the future remains one of the defining debates in the division. With each NFC South team dealing with its own set of roster issues, the Saints do not have the luxury of leaning on a clearly settled outlook, and that makes the position especially important as they try to find a path back to the top. In a division this bunched together, the answer under center could end up mattering more than anything else. [Read more 🡒]