The Saints have signed Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton to new contracts, but I don’t think they’ve solved anything in regards to the quarterback position.
Winston last week signed a two-year contract worth $28 million, with about $15 million guaranteed. They added Dalton today on a one-year deal worth $3 million.
Some, it seems, are of the school of thought Winston took a step forward last year. He went 5-2 as a starter last year, with 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. But I don’t see it. To me, he looks like the same guy he was in Tampa Bay. The Saints just made more of an effort to protect him from himself by taking the ball out of his hands.
Back in 2019, the Bucs had Winston throwing it all over the yard, and the result was a comedy of errors, with a league-high 30 interceptions. Recognizing those limitations, Sean Payton opted instead to build things more around his defense and running game, limiting Winston’s role.
Winston averaged only 23 pass attempts as a starter last year, 2 fewer than any other quarterback. He also averaged only 167 passing yards per game, which is lower than any quarterback who started at least half the season.
While Winston wasn’t given many opportunities, he also wasn’t particularly effective with his throws. He completed only 59 percent, which was lower than everyone except Zach Wilson.
Lots of unknowns heading into 2022, but one certainty is that the Saints will have lesser quarterbacking play. There will be no salvaging of Winston’s career, and Dalton won’t be stepping in to save them. (The Saints have already ruled out Taysom Hill as a quarterback – he’s playing tight end this year.)
In the chart below, you’re seeing quarterback numbers from last year. Normally on this kind of chart, I limit it to players who started at least half the time. But with Winston and Dalton having started only 7 and 6 games, I lowered the threshold for this one.
The quarterbacks in this chart are ordered by their average number of pass attempts per game – not yards or touchdowns, but pass attempts. Tom Brady, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes averaged the most passes. They’re at the top. Winston is down at the bottom.
Payton queued up Winston for a few easy touchdown passes at the goal line, allowing him to finish with 14 TD passes in seven games, but he is not a good quarterback.
| QUARTERBACKS: PASS ATTEMPTS PER GAME | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | G | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int |
| Tom Brady, T.B. | 17 | 28.5 | 42.3 | 312.7 | 2.53 | .71 |
| Justin Herbert, LAC | 17 | 26.1 | 39.5 | 294.9 | 2.24 | .88 |
| Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 17 | 25.6 | 38.7 | 284.6 | 2.18 | .76 |
| Josh Allen, Buff. | 17 | 24.1 | 38.0 | 259.2 | 2.12 | .88 |
| Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt. | 16 | 24.4 | 37.8 | 233.8 | 1.38 | .63 |
| Dak Prescott, Dall. | 16 | 25.6 | 37.3 | 278.1 | 2.31 | .63 |
| Derek Carr, L.V. | 17 | 25.2 | 36.8 | 282.6 | 1.35 | .82 |
| Trevor Lawrence, Jac. | 17 | 21.1 | 35.4 | 214.2 | .71 | 1.00 |
| Matthew Stafford, LAR | 17 | 23.8 | 35.4 | 287.4 | 2.41 | 1.00 |
| • Andy Dalton, Chi. | 6 | 22.8 | 35.3 | 217.7 | 1.00 | 1.50 |
| Jared Goff, Det. | 14 | 23.7 | 35.3 | 231.8 | 1.36 | .57 |
| Kirk Cousins, Min. | 16 | 23.3 | 35.1 | 263.8 | 2.06 | .44 |
| Kyler Murray, Ariz. | 14 | 23.8 | 34.4 | 270.5 | 1.71 | .71 |
| Sam Darnold, Car. | 11 | 20.7 | 34.0 | 212.5 | .82 | 1.18 |
| Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 16 | 22.9 | 33.2 | 257.2 | 2.31 | .25 |
| Matt Ryan, Atl. | 17 | 22.1 | 32.9 | 233.4 | 1.18 | .71 |
| Davis Mills, Hou. | 11 | 22.6 | 32.9 | 228.5 | 1.36 | .82 |
| Daniel Jones, NYG | 11 | 21.1 | 32.8 | 220.7 | .91 | .64 |
| Joe Burrow, Cin. | 16 | 22.9 | 32.5 | 288.2 | 2.13 | .88 |
| Taylor Heinicke, Was. | 15 | 20.7 | 31.9 | 219.8 | 1.27 | 1.00 |
| Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 12 | 20.5 | 31.8 | 240.2 | 1.33 | 1.08 |
| Tua Tagovailoa, Mia. | 12 | 21.3 | 31.3 | 207.9 | 1.33 | .83 |
| Ryan Tannehill, Ten. | 17 | 21.0 | 31.2 | 219.6 | 1.24 | .82 |
| Mac Jones, N.E. | 17 | 20.7 | 30.6 | 223.6 | 1.29 | .76 |
| Teddy Bridgewater, Den. | 14 | 20.4 | 30.4 | 218.0 | 1.29 | .50 |
| Carson Wentz, Ind. | 17 | 18.9 | 30.4 | 209.6 | 1.59 | .41 |
| Baker Mayfield, Clev. | 14 | 18.1 | 29.9 | 215.0 | 1.21 | .93 |
| Zach Wilson, NYJ | 13 | 16.4 | 29.5 | 179.5 | .69 | .85 |
| Jimmy Garoppolo, S.F. | 15 | 20.1 | 29.4 | 254.0 | 1.33 | .80 |
| Jalen Hurts, Phil. | 15 | 17.7 | 28.8 | 209.6 | 1.07 | .60 |
| Russell Wilson, Sea. | 14 | 18.5 | 28.6 | 222.4 | 1.79 | .43 |
| Justin Fields, Chi. | 10 | 15.1 | 25.5 | 180.0 | .70 | .90 |
| Tyrod Taylor, Hou. | 6 | 15.2 | 25.0 | 161.0 | .83 | .83 |
| Jameis Winston, N.O. | 7 | 13.6 | 23.0 | 167.1 | 2.00 | .43 |
—Ian Allan