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4 players Sean Payton could bring to the Denver Broncos in 2023

By Sayre Bedinger

Jan 8, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) runs to the locker room after the game against the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) runs to the locker room after the game against the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Sean Payton, Denver Broncos; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans Saints (possible cap casualty)

We saw in the final month of the 2022 NFL season that Russell Wilson may not have really “lost it”. It’s unclear at this point what kind of injuries Wilson was dealing with early on in the 2022 season, but over the course of the year, he had a quad issue, a torn lat, and a very scary concussion.

On top of that, Wilson essentially had to operate four different offenses. He was running an offense that was essentially tailored to his skills, he was running Nathaniel Hackett’s offense, and then he ran Klint Kubiak’s version of the offense as well as Justin Outten’s version of the offense. Not to excuse Wilson’s poor play in 2022, but it’s safe to say all of these factors played a role in what ended up being his worst year yet as a pro.

Regardless of how optimistic you are (or aren’t) about Wilson’s future with the Broncos, it seems clear that the Broncos need a better contingency plan at the QB position in 2023. With all due respect to Taysom Hill, he would be an addition on top of the true backup QB in Denver.

In this case, I think Jameis Winston would be a fine pickup for the Broncos. He was brought in by the New Orleans Saints in 2020 after a devastating year in 2019 with the Bucs where he threw 30 interceptions running the Bruce Arians offense. Sean Payton took him in, developed him for a year, then trotted him out to start the 2021 season.

Winston was on pace for over 50 touchdowns through the first seven games before he tore his ACL. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that Winston would probably look forward to the chance to work with Payton again, and he could be a very good option to back up Russell Wilson as well as push him a little bit.

Winston is a former number one overall pick who certainly doesn’t lack talent. The Broncos need an upgrade in the backup QB spot, and Winston would be worth the investment.

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