Thomas has been suspended for three games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
Thomas, who was sentenced to three years probation in May after pleading guilty to a felony charge of marijuana possession, can practice with the Vikings during training camp and play in the preseason, but he'll sit out the team's first three regular-season games before becoming eligible to return to the field Sept. 23. Thomas is in line to compete for a depth role in the Minnesota backfield (behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison) along with Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah.