Michael Thomas (ankle) returns to Saints practice on Wednesday

Here’s some potentially big news: when the New Orleans Saints took the practice field on Wednesday, they were joined by wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas missed two games after suffering a high-ankle injury in the season-opening win over Tampa Bay, and initial reports said that he was working with a two- to four-week timetable to return.

But he participated in Wednesday’s practice session, and reporters on the seen said he moved well in the portion of work open to the media. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport pointed out that the main concern for New Orleans is a risk of reinjury; if Thomas is ramping up his activity level before his body is ready for it, he could miss a more extensive time. But he’ll have three days of practice to prove he can handle it.

Obviously, adding the reining Offensive Player of the Year to a Saints offense that’s sputtered with too many stops and starts would be huge. Drew Brees hasn’t been able to get away with as many off-target throws to wideouts Emmanuel Sanders, Tre’Quan Smith, and Deonte Harris, which is the sort of margin for error Thomas can widen. The Saints currently rank twentieth in first down conversions on offense, which is far beneath their usual standards with Thomas on top of the depth chart.

We’ll know exactly how active Thomas was in practice when the daily injury report is released, so check this space often for updates.