Saints rookie Thomas earning Brees' trust early in OTAs

When the New Orleans Saints drafted 6-foot-3 receiver Michael Thomas in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, there was a pretty clear expectation.

Thomas was going to be seen as the primary replacement for departed veteran Marques Colston, who had developed a close relationship with Drew Brees in their 10 seasons together.

Chemistry like that typically isn't created overnight, but Thomas is already earning a similar trust with his future Hall of Fame quarterback.

In Saints practice on Thursday, Brees was leading the offense in a scrimmage against his defensive teammates and looked to the rookie for a third-down conversion.

Brees made a hand signal to Thomas for an adjustment they had "literally never repped before together" and watched as the rookie beat cornerback Delvin Breaux with the exact route he signaled for, according to ESPN's Mike Triplett.

"Coming off the ball and selling your deep route, keeping everything looking the same," Thomas told Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate. "I knew I would be able to get away with it if I kept it tight and made it look like the original route that was on and then broke it out. I just had to run the route like a professional."

Thomas impressed Brees with his ability to make the correct adjustment with only a few weeks of practice under his belt in the NFL.

"I don't think we've ever even talked about it," Brees said. "But it was one of those where I'm just in the moment, and hey, he's my guy over there at that position. So I kind of give him a look, give him a signal or whatever, and he goes and makes the play. And ran the route just like I imagined.

"So that makes you feel good too. 'Hey, we're on the same page even though we haven't even talked about that yet. You kind of know this offense, you have a feel for the game.' So I like when I see that stuff out of young guys, where you kind of feel like there's some instincts there."

Thomas will likely open the season as a starter for the Saints opposite Brandin Cooks and Brees believes the rookie is on the right track to be a weapon in the offense by September.

"Listen, this game is all about trust, especially at the quarterback position," Brees said. "Everything I do is with trust and anticipation."