USATSI
The New Orleans Saints appear to be bracing for the possibility that they won’t have Jameis Winston for their Week 4 international matchup against the Vikings NOLA.com, Winston was absent from Wednesday’s training session in England. After being sidelined, it was veteran Andy Dalton who got first-team reps under center, while Taysom Hill also got some reps as a reserve quarterback. As the report notes, this is a change in the way the team has worked in recent weeks.
After practice, head coach Dennis Allen confirms that Winstono didn’t train and noted it was a rest day for the quarterback to ensure he stayed healthy. Allen also reckons Winston will be back on the field Thursday.
It has previously been reported that Winston is playing with four fractures in his back. There is reportedly no further risk of injury, but the quarterback is playing in great pain. The revelation of that back injury came out before Week 2 and Winston has played the last two games for New Orleans which is 0-2 at this stretch. During the Saints’ Week 3 matchup against the Panthers, Winston completed 25 of his 41 passes for 353 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. As well as his back condition, he was also listed with an ankle injury in last week’s injury report.
If Winston is out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, Dalton faces his first start for New Orleans since signing up for the team in March. Though best known for his days as a weekly starter for the Cincinnati Bengals during the first decade of his career, he has experience as a spot starter.
The 34-year-old started in nine games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 after Dak Prescott’s ankle injury, leading them to a 4-5 record at that stretch. And after starting the season last year as Chicago’s starter before giving way to first-rounder Justin Fields, he started a handful of games later in the year and was .500 in his four starts for the Bears that run.
For his career, Dalton is 70-69-2 as a starter with an 87 passer rating and a 62.2 completion rate. He averaged 232.1 yards per game and threw for 226 touchdowns.
Adding to Winston’s uncertainty, it’s worth watching star wideout Michael Thomas as the week progresses. He was also absent from the Saints practice on Wednesday.