The New Orleans Saints should experiment with Jameis Winston more

The New Orleans Saints need to do more experimenting with Jameis Winston as both Drew Brees and Taysom Hill have obvious shortcomings.

Jameis Winston led the NFL in passing yards last season. The former No. 1 overall pick was then replaced by New England’s Tom Brady, who left his only NFL one to recreate his dominance in Tampa bay. For the Saints, that helped them land Winston.

Winston is only on the roster for one season at this point. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, and he’ll likely have the same leverage that now Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had.

However, unlike former Pro Bowl quarterback Bridgewater, Winston should have a role when the Saints roster is fully healthy. That doesn’t appear to be the case as of now. Winston has yet to play a single snap for the New Orleans Saints.

He’s a talented player that’s just sitting on the bench. He knew that, and everyone involved knew that was going to be the case when he signed this offseason.

As the season has started, it’s been clear the Saints could use Winston. Brees just doesn’t have the arm strength he used to, and it’s obvious on every drop back. He just doesn’t get it downfield in a hurry, and Winston could.

Winston was second in yards per completion a season ago, only behind Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill.

That said, given Hill’s involvement, playing in over 20 percent of snaps, he seems like the obvious choice at quarterback if Brees misses any time. Hill’s play has been less than ideal, going 1-for-2 as a passer for 38 yards through five weeks.

Head coach Sean Payton’s obsession with what Hill can do in this offense has been noticeable. He’s no Winston though, and Brees doesn’t have Winston-like traits either, making his deep-ball ability a new facet to the offense.

He needs to get some more snaps, and the Saints need to get him involved so this offense can potentially reach a new level.