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Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, and it’s fair to say that Jameis Winston has stronger qualifications than any backup quarterback around the league. With Taysom Hill in the mix, the New Orleans Saints have an argument to make for the NFL’s strongest set of passers among their peers.
And at least one ranking agrees with that. USA Today’s Nate Davis ranked the Saints depth chart at quarterback higher than any other team in the NFL, just ahead of the Dallas Cowboys tandem of Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton:
1. New Orleans Saints: Jameis Winston’s arrival makes this the first team to have a pair of 5,000-yard passers on its roster. Winston, who led the NFL in passing yards (5,109) in 2019 has obvious flaws in his game, namely his proclivity for turnovers (league-worst 30 INTs in 2019). But given time to re-calibrate his estimable tools under Sean Payton’s watch, maybe it’s Winston – and not highly compensated gadget guy Taysom Hill, who threw six passes last year – who emerges as Drew Brees’ eventual successor.
In an ideal world, we’ll never get a look at Winston running the Saints offense — at least this year. That would mean Brees has missed time with a maybe-significant injury, which wouldn’t be great. The chances of the Saints rattling off five straight wins again after pulling off that trick last year with Teddy Bridgewater under center are not high.
Still, Davis is right to point out that this could be more of a long-term investment than it first appears. Winston’s year on the depth chart should put him on similar footing to Hill in 2021, should Brees step away from the game, allowing the Saints to have a true starting competition between a pair of experienced options. And as seen up and down this list of backup situations around the NFL, that’s an outlook that most teams might envy.
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