Michigan Football: What is means to have Ambry Thomas back at practice

Ambry Thomas who has been projected to start at corner this season for Michigan football returned to practice Thursday but what does it mean?

There is no question that whenever Ambry Thomas is 100 percent healthy, he is going to have a key role to play on the Michigan football team in 2019.

And while it’s hard to know if Thomas is 100 percent healthy after missing an extended period of time due to an illness, he did return to practice this week according to his Twitter account.

Wolverines Wire reported earlier this month that Thomas has gained back much of the weight he had lost, which was a big hurdle in his comeback and now it appears he is getting closer to being full strength.

Returning to practice can obviously mean a lot of different things and Thomas didn’t really shed light on what he was doing at practice, more just that he was there. Overall, that’s a good sign and leads one to believe Thomas will be on the field in the near future.

Figuring out when though is going to be the question. Michigan football has never been overly forthcoming when it comes to injuries and you can expect Jim Harbaugh to be pretty guarded with that information as the season-opener with Middle Tennessee State approaches.

Yet, outside of Lavert Hill, Thomas could be the best corner on the roster. He made some big strides last season as the fourth corner and even intercepted a pass on the road against Rutgers. He is also a dynamic kickoff returner as evidenced by his return TD against Notre Dame.

With the loss of David Long to the NFL and Brandon Watson to graduation, Thomas seemed like a natural fit to start at corner. His combination of size and speed is exactly what any team would want at the position and his continued improvement has been exciting to watch.

Certainly, there were times that Michigan football could have used more speed on the field last season and with Thomas being one of the faster players on the roster, having him start at corner would accomplish that.

Yet, don’t expect the Wolverines to rush him back. Vincent Gray is one name to watch at corner in addition to Brad Hawkins who has been stellar at safety and nickelback. Gemon Green and Jaylen Kelly-Powell could also be in the mix along with five-star freshman Daxton Hill.

Getting back to practice was a good first step for Thomas. But when it comes to getting back in the lineup, that could still take some time, which means others will have to be ready to fill that void for the time being.