The Demaryius Thomas the New England Patriots signed Tuesday isn't the same guy who posted five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
He turned 31 on December 25, a day after being placed on the Houston Texans' injured reserve with a torn Achilles. There's a chance he won't even begin the 2019 season on the Patriots' active roster.
As NFL Network's James Palmer reported Tuesday, though, there appears to be optimism in New England about Thomas' recovery timeline.
As Palmer points out, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was Thomas' head coach in Denver when the wide receiver first tore his Achilles in February 2011. Many expected Thomas to miss most of the 2011 season, but he returned ahead of schedule in late October and played in 11 games that season.
Thomas is eight years older this time around, so a similar eight-month recovery seems aggressive. But if the wide receiver is able to return in, say, nine or 10 months, he could be ready around the start of the 2019 season and possibly even join the Patriots for their season opener.
But New England also could opt to play it safe with Thomas, placing him on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start the season and viewing him more as a mid-season acquisition -- à la Josh Gordon in 2018 -- to bolster a Julian Edelman-led receiving corps.
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