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When the Saints drafted wide receiver Michael Thomas in the second round, it wasn’t hard to find talk of him filling the spot on the depth chart formerly occupied by Marques Colston.

Colston was a reliable and frequent target for quarterback Drew Brees over the years and it will likely take time for Brees to develop the same kind of relationship with Thomas. Things appear to be off to a good start, however.

Brees said that he’s seen a lot of progress from the rookie as he works in the Saints offense for the first time, citing a play from Thursday as evidence of how things are falling into place. Brees signaled Thomas to change his route to one “we have literally never repped” before the snap on one play and Thomas ran just what Brees was looking for on the play.

“His improvement over these six practices has been awesome,” Brees said, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “From day one until now, the same mistakes are not being made. He’s on to the next set of challenges, and he’s continuing to progress well. … After practice ends, we are getting a lot of extra reps together, where it is just us two, focusing in on a certain concept or split or footwork or look,” Brees said. “You can tell it is all starting to register. Once he picks it up, he gets it.”

There are more experienced targets in the Saints offense, but Thomas could wind up passing some of them if he and Brees continue to click over the rest of their first year together.