Los Angeles Rams receiver Mike Thomas is suspended for the first four games of the upcoming season but could still make the 53-man roster.

ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez did not include Thomas on the 53-man roster in his projection for the upcoming season. Before the suspension was announced, Gonzalez says he had Thomas on the roster. However, he would not count against the roster until his suspension is complete.

The Rams may want to have someone on the roster who could play for the whole season. But head coach Sean McVay was not reluctant to compliment Thomas when asked about the receiver:

“It’s an unfortunate thing. It’s something that we’ll deal with. He won’t be available for those first four games, but we have confidence that Mike (Thomas) will work. I thought he did a great job this offseason demonstrating his ability he’s a guy that can go down the field and then also contribute in the intermediate game and underneath. When the ball is in his hands, good things happened this offseason. I thought his confidence grew, and this is something that we’ll navigate through together, but when he’s back we’ll be excited to have him.”

When asked if he has spoken to Thomas since the suspension, McVay indicated Thomas still has a role with the team:

“I’ve spoken with Mike and it’s something that we’ll deal with and it’s something that we’ll keep those discussions internally. We’re going to support Mike, we’ll put our arm around him and we’ll embrace him when he comes back.”

Jared Goff said Thomas has a role as one of the “fastest receivers” on the roster. According to an ESPN report, Thomas received most of the reps Tavon Austin missed during the offseason while recovering from injury.

Pro Football Focus metrics indicate Thomas had the fourth-highest catch rate (46.7 percent) on targets of twenty yards or more during his final collegiate season.