New Orleans Saints Quarterback Misses Practice

The New Orleans Saints have a complicated week ahead of them. The team travelled to England for an important NFC clash with the Minnesota Vikings, and quarterback Jameis Winston was unavailable for the team's first practice.

#Saints QB Jameis Winston was not spotted at practice by those present in London. A situation to monitor.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 28, 2022

Winston has been grinding through a back injury since Week 1, and the Saints are apparently allowing Winston to rest ahead of their pivotal international game. Winston has struggled the past two weeks, tossing five interceptions and taking seven sacks in consecutive losses, but the Saints remain committed to the former first-overall pick. Should he exacerbate his injury or his play become untenable, the team could turn to backup Andy Dalton until Winston is well enough to perform more effectively. Dalton is perhaps the league's most accomplished second-string quarterback, sporting a 77-69-2 record and an 87.0 career passer rating.

Winston joined the Saints in 2020 following four years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after losing the confidence of the Bucs coaching staff following a colossal 30 interceptions in 2019. He spent a year on the bench learning under Saints legend Drew Brees, then took over as the starter in 2021 following Brees's retirement. Winston got off to a hot start, winning five of his seven starts and managing a 102.8 passer rating, but an ACL tear against his former team cost him the remainder of the season. Now, the problems that sunk his career in Tampa have reared their ugly head in New Orleans. Winston has tossed a league-leading five interceptions through three games and has been sacked 11 times. If he can't learn to protect himself and his team with mistake-free football, the Saints' season could soon spiral out of control.