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One of the most intriguing storylines at New Orleans Saints training camp this summer is the development of Jameis Winston, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise quarterback who is now competing for a job as a backup. Winston agreed to sign with the Saints on a one-year deal worth a fraction of his market value for the opportunity to learn from Drew Brees and Sean Payton, but the NFL’s new rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic means we won’t get to see much of that process.
And whatever Payton’s taken away from his initial work with Winston is being kept tight to his vest.
“Look, he’s been in what we’re doing meeting-wise, walkthrough-wise, lifting,” Payton said about Winston in a media conference call. “We’re out on the field during the walkthroughs. So just like everyone else, he’s in good shape, he’s lost weight, he’s lean. He’s a guy that is not afraid to work. He’s doing well, he’s fit in well.”
The Saints spent their first week together going through waves of COVID-19 testing, requiring players to turn in multiple negative tests before they would be allowed into the practice facility. So Payton probably isn’t bluffing or protecting any trade secrets when the first thing he can say about Winston is that he’s lost some weight after trying out a new vegan diet.
Still, it would be nice to get an up-close look at Winston going through passing drills with Brees, Taysom Hill, and rookie draft pick Tommy Stevens. Winston’s Buccaneers performance experienced nearly as many highs (leading the NFL with 5,109 passing yards last year) as lows (throwing an NFL-worst 30 interceptions in 2019), so he’ll be looking for greater consistency and better decision-making with the Saints. If anyone is going to bring out his best, it’ll be Payton and his coaching staff.
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