Saints not trading Jameis Winston could be season-saving move

The New Orleans Saints holding onto Jameis Winston could save their season.

There was some buzz surrounding Jameis Winston of the New Orleans Saints at the trade deadline because he was riding the bench in the Big Easy and could easily be a starter elsewhere. Even with all of the whispers, the Saints held onto Winston and now that looks to be a genius move on their end.

Heading into the 2020 season, the Saints had three quarterbacks on their active roster: Winston, Drew Brees and Taysom Hill. They signed Winston after Teddy Bridgewater signed with Carolina while retaining Brees and Hill.

Brees has been on and off this season but a rib injury and collapsed lung he sustained in Sunday’s win over the 49ers could sideline him for a few starts. With the Buccaneers hot on their trail for the NFC South division title, every win matters for the Saints and having a backup like Winston could end up saving their season.

Without Jameis Winston, the New Orleans Saints would be in a real bind right now.

Brees might not play this weekend against Atlanta and there hasn’t been much discussion on how many games he could end up missing. He missed five starts last year due to injury and the Saints were very fortunate that Bridgewater stepped in and played as well as he did. It saved their 2019 season and the same story could happen again in 2020, only with Winston this time.

Winston played the entire second half of Sunday’s game, going 6-of-10 for 63 yards. The Saints put the game out of reach later on and while Winston didn’t light it up, he didn’t turn the ball over, which is something that plagued his time in Tampa Bay. He’ll need to continue taking care of the football if he does indeed become the Saints’ full-time starter for the time being.

Had the Saints traded Winston, they’d have been left with Hill as their only option at quarterback. Hill isn’t a bad quarterback by any means, but he’s at his best when he can play multiple positions, ranging from quarterback to running back to wide receiver to tight end to wowing on special teams. If he were forced to be the QB1, some of the Saints’ explosiveness on offense would vanish.

While Alvin Kamara and the Saints defense would have been good enough to carry New Orleans while Brees is out, having an experienced starter like Winston very well could be what helps them win not only the NFC South but to land the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.