The Lions plan on opening Thomas' (forearm) 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve Tuesday, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.
Thomas underwent surgery to repair a broken forearm that he sustained during the Lions' Week 3 win over the Ravens, which prompted his placement on injured reserve. The 2020 fifth-rounder has had five weeks to recover and will be cleared to practice once he is designated to return from IR by the Lions. That gives Thomas a chance to be activated from IR ahead of Detroit's Week 9 clash against Minnesota on Sunday. He mostly served in a special-teams role when healthy, though he could see an increased role in the secondary if Kerby Joseph (knee) misses time.