On Friday, August 27th, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Jameis Winston would be the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints week one when they face-off against the Green Bay Packers at home. It will be Winston’s first start in an NFL game since 2019 when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winston will be entering a key role with the absence of Drew Brees. Longtime Saints quarterback Drew Brees made the decision to retire over the offseason, leaving Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill to battle for the QB1 position in New Orleans. During the 2020 NFL season, backup quarterback Taysom Hill took the starting role for an injured Drew Brees for four games. Despite earning three wins and tacking on a single loss in those four games, Hill was not able to outperform Winston in this year’s preseason games. In Winston’s two combined preseason games, he completed 16 of 22 passes, gaining 219 yards in the air, and threw for 3 touchdowns and one interception. Hill will likely be put back into his role as a TE and utility player.
Jameis Winston is the clear choice for Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints to be starting quarterback under center to start the season. Winston adds an aspect to the Saints offense that it has not seen in a number of years. That aspect being the ability to throw deep passes. Drew Brees played the position of quarterback exceptionally well for the Saints for 15 years, however, it became evident that Brees was beginning to lose strength and power on his throws, which consequently led to a particularly one-dimensional offense in New Orleans the last few years. Taysom Hill has also shown that he does not possess the necessary arm strength or combination of throwing power and accuracy to be a reliable starting NFL quarterback.
Winston provides a deep-ball threat that the Saints have struggled to work into their offense because of what they used to have available at the quarterback position. In his 2019 campaign for the Buccaneers, Winston led the league in passing yards with 5,109, however, he also threw a league-high 30 interceptions that year. Two years later, Winston is able to showcase his talent, including the well needed long-ball ability for New Orleans. His skills were on display in the Saints preseason game against Jacksonville, when he threw a 43-yard touchdown to Marquez Callaway. The ball traveled 53.3 yards in the air, which is the longest distance on a touchdown pass for New Orleans since 2016.
Winston’s success will rely on Payton and the coaching staff, as well as his ability to make plays with the personnel on the field. Only time can tell if this decision will be one that keeps the Saints as a playoff contending team.
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