Jameis Winston Absent From Saints Practice in London

New Orleans reportedly made a notable change with their quarterbacks at practice.

NFL fans in London may miss out on seeing a few key players in Sunday’s Vikings at Saints game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Minnesota star running back Dalvin Cook is day-to-day with a shoulder injury, while New Orleans quarterback Jameis Winston continues to deal with a painful back injury, and on Wednesday, was not seen at the team’s practice in London.

Winston is dealing with back and ankle injuries that have kept him limited over the last few weeks. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer previously reported Winston is dealing with four fractures in his back, which, while painful, are not at risk of further damage.

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Last week, Winston was on the sideline during a rest day on Wednesday. This week, he was completely absent, along with wide receiver Michael Thomas and offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk. 

Coach Dennis Allen confirmed the absence after Wednesday’s practice, according to NFL Network’s Stacey Dales, sharing it was once again a scheduled rest day for the quarterback, and that he expects Winston back on the field on Thursday. 

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The Saints’ practice plan was altered a bit this week, though, during Winston’s absence. Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune reports that Andy Dalton served as QB1 in Wednesday’s practice session, with Taysom Hill moving over from his tight end position to take some backup quarterback snaps as well. This is a change from how the Saints have handled practice in recent weeks, Duncan says.

Through three weeks, Winston is the only Saints quarterback to throw a pass, completing 73-of-115 attempts for 858 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. New Orleans fell to 1–2 with last Sunday’s 22–14 loss to Carolina.

The Saints and Vikings kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, October 2 in London.

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