Saints Questions at Quarterback Continue as Free Agency Approaches
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Not since the turn of the century have the New Orleans Saints seen the instability that they had at quarterback in 2021. Jameis Winston took over for a retired Drew Brees last season.
Winston silenced critics about mistake-prone play earlier in his career, accounting for 15 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. Unfortunately, Winston suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 8 just as he was getting comfortable in the offense.
For the first time since their abysmal 1997 and 1998 campaigns, the Saints were forced to start four different quarterbacks. Journeyman Trevor Siemian wasn't the answer. Rookie fourth-round pick Ian Book was thrust into the lineup for a New Orleans team missing 22 major contributors in a Week 16 loss to Miami.
Taysom Hill went 4-1 as a starter and almost pulled the Saints into the postseason. While Hill had nice moments, he still has clear limitations as a starting quarterback. The Saints entered the offseason with as many questions at the position as when Brees retired one year ago.
Jameis Winston is now a free agent. There's a good chance he returns to New Orleans, but he'll be highly sought after on the open market.
Will New Orleans re-sign Winston? Could they trade for a mid-level starter like Jimmy Garoppolo, Kirk Cousins, or Gardner Minshew? Would they pull off a huge deal for Texans QB Deshaun Watson? Will they sign another free-agent as a stop-gap solution and overdraft a quarterback in the first round?
Saints 2022 Free Agency Preview
Quarterback
- Mitchell Trubisky (27 - Bills)
- Teddy Bridgewater (29 - Broncos)
- Marcus Mariota (28 - Raiders)
- Andy Dalton (34 - Bears)
- Jacoby Brissett (29 - Dolphins)
- Tyrod Taylor (32 - Texans)
* Age and previous team in parentheses
Dec 20, 2020; Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) throws against the Minnesota Vikings. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Number 2 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, Trubisky quarterbacked two playoff teams and had a 29-21 record over four years with Chicago. Largely considered a bust with the Bears, he was a backup to Josh Allen in Buffalo last season.
Trubisky is a terrific athlete, but tends to get skittish under pressure and has erratic accuracy. He's completed 64% of his attempts with 64 career touchdowns and 38 interceptions.
A first-round choice in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, Bridgewater revived his career in New Orleans after a gruesome knee injury in 2016. Going 5-0 as an injury replacement for Brees in 2019, Bridgewater was signed to a big deal by the Carolina Panthers.
After just one average season in Carolina, Bridgewater was traded to the Denver Broncos. He completed 67% of his throws, averaged 221 yards per game, and threw just 7 interceptions. However, he also tossed only 18 touchdowns and is just 33-31 as a starter over his career.
Mariota was the second overall draft choice behind Jameis Winston in 2015. He led the Titans to the playoffs in 2017 and engineered a first-round upset of Kansas City. Outside of that, he had a nondescript four years in Tennessee. He's been a backup for the last two seasons with the Raiders.
Like Trubisky, Mariota is an outstanding athlete with questionable accuracy. He's completed only 62 8% of his career attempts and is just 29-32 as a starter. Mariota averaged 216 yards/game with Tennessee and has thrown 77 touchdowns against 45 interceptions in his career.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws a pass that was deflected by Kansas City but was ultimately caught by Mariota for a touchdown during the AFC Wild Card game. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
Dalton, an 11-year veteran, has the most experience of any potential free-agent signal caller. He was 50-26-1 as a starter over his first five seasons with Cincinnati, taking his team to the playoffs five times. Since 2016, he owns just a 27-43-1 record in starts.
Dalton can be a productive pocket passer able to decisively go through progressions when given the protection. He's averaged nearly 240 yards/game in his career and has 226 touchdown passes against 135 interceptions.
Once a promising backup to Tom Brady, then Andrew Luck, the career trajectory of the athletic Brissett flattened. He was a full-time starter for two seasons in Indianapolis before starting five contests as a backup in Miami last season.
The athletic Brissett presents a threat on the move, but never developed as a pocket passer. He's barely completed 60% of his passes and averaged 208 yards/game while throwing 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Eleven-year veteran Tyrod Taylor has been the definition of a ‘‘caretaker’’ quarterback. He's been the starting predecessor to rookies Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Justin Herbert, and Davis Mills during his time with Buffalo, Cleveland San Diego, and Houston.
Taylor held a 22-20 record as a three-year starter with Buffalo and helped the Bills to the playoffs in 2017. He's a poised pocket passer with decent athleticism but stiff mechanics and a limited upside, very comparable to Bridgewater. Taylor has 59 touchdowns and only 25 interceptions, but has averaged less than 195 yards passing as a starter.
Jameis Winston has signed one-year contracts the last two years to be in New Orleans. With Pittsburgh, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Tampa Bay also searching for starters, it'll take a longer and more lucrative contract to get Winston now.
Trade candidates Watson, Garoppolo and perhaps Cousins would also fill starting slots. Any of them, along with the 28-year-old Winston, would represent a starting commitment for the foreseeable future.
If New Orleans goes deeper into the free-agent market for a quarterback, the players available would likely represent just a short-term solution. It would also open the door to the likely drafting of a quarterback in the first round, something the Saints have done just once in their history.
