Saints Post-2021 NFL Draft State of the Roster: Quarterbacks

The New Orleans Saints are entering their first season without Drew Brees and that changes the quarterback position quite a bit, as he was the unquestioned starter for this team for 15 years. We all know that it’s between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill for the starting job but what does the rest of the position look like?

Here are the quarterbacks on the Saints’ official roster:

• Ian Book
• Taysom Hill
• Trevor Siemian
• Jameis Winston

The Saints have four quarterbacks currently on their roster.

As mentioned above, Hill and Winston are the two vying for the starting job. Hill has been with the team since 2017 where they turned him into an offensive weapon of sorts. He’s played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, and dabbled in special teams as well since he’s been in New Orleans. There’s no denying how much Hill has meant to this team but the knock on him is that he’s turning 31 in August and isn’t a “traditional” quarterback.

Winston, on the other hand, is very much a “traditional” quarterback. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers where he proved he could sling the pigskin and put up points. Winston threw for over 4,000 yards in three of his five seasons in Tampa, including throwing over 5,100 yards during his final season there in 2019.

Were it not for the 30 interceptions Winston had on his resumé that season, he might still be the Bucs’ quarterback. He wasn’t a bad quarterback by any means and that’s why when Sean Payton had a chance to bring him in last year, he didn’t hesitate to do so.

Siemian was signed this offseason and has been a journeyman throughout his NFL career. The Broncos drafted him in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft and he started (yes, started) for them for three seasons after Peyton Manning retired. He’s since spent time with the Vikings, Jets, Titans, and now the Saints.

His tenure with the Saints will likely be brief, as the drafting of Book probably spells the end for Siemian in the Big Easy. Book played for Notre Dame in college and threw for just shy of 9,000 yards along with 72 touchdowns to just 20 interceptions throughout his four-year collegiate career. Book was a surprising pick for the Saints but Payton might see him as a nice prospect to lean on down the road.

This is the first time the Saints have had a quarterback competition in well over a decade and it’s a rare feeling for Saints fans. Whether it’s Winston or Hill that wins the starting job, New Orleans still has a good team and should be competitive this year. Book will likely be the third-string quarterback, which leaves Siemian on the outside looking in.

The only way the Saints keep all four of these guys is if they decide to keep Hill as an offensive weapon and not have him as the backup quarterback. They had both him and Winston on the roster a year ago when Brees was healthy so it’s not out of the question by any means.

For once, the Saints’ starting quarterback entering Week 1 is a topic of conversation and we might not know who the official starter will be until Week 1 inches closer.