NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Dolphins hurt by trade talk, Bears look foolish

There was a bit of a concern that Sean Payton was going to let his affinity for Taysom Hill cloud his judgment as the New Orleans Saints have a quarterback battle between Hill and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Jameis Winston. Hill was given the first start of the preseason as Payton has never been shy about saying he could be a franchise quarterback despite the fact that he’s over 30 and has yet to truly have such a role.

Hill did play well in his four starts and during the preseason was fine, but when Jameis Winston got his chance we saw how much better he was. The offense was more explosive and his deep ball brought an element to this offense that they have lacked for years. The former No. 1 overall pick was probably given up on too early and he’s about to start his revenge tour.

Working with Payton will only help him improve as a player and while he won’t be as good as Drew Brees in his prime, there’s a reason to believe he can keep the Saints winning as much as Brees did. Heck, if we are being honest, Winston at his best could be an upgrade over the player Brees was during the final two seasons he was in New Orleans.