New Orleans Saints: Quarterback situation isn’t ideal but it could be worse

The New Orleans Saints will have a new quarterback under center in Week 1 for the first time since Drew Brees joined the team in 2006. It’s a strange feeling and typically, when a team loses their franchise quarterback, especially a Hall of Fame one like Brees, it sets the organization back pretty far.

While the Saints no longer have Brees as their signal-caller, their quarterback situation isn’t bad by any means. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report had it at No. 24 on his rankings of every NFL team’s quarterback situation and I really don’t think it should be that low.

Sure, the Saints haven’t named a starter yet but the two options they have to pick from aren’t bad options.

Taysom Hill started four games in Brees’ absence last season and went 3-1 during that time. He’s not a traditional quarterback and is better off in an offensive weapon-type of role but Hill proved he can win games when his back is against the wall.

Jameis Winston is a former No. 1 overall pick who threw for over 5,100 yards and 33 touchdowns during the 2019 season. Now, of course, if he was worth keeping, the Buccaneers probably would have signed him to an extension and kept him as their quarterback but the 30 interceptions he threw that season were a blemish on his 2019 resumé.

The New Orleans Saints could be in a much worse position at quarterback.

A team that comes to mind when discussing quarterback woes after a legend hung up the cleats is the Broncos. Peyton Manning spent four years with the Broncos and retired after the 2015 season. Since that time, the Broncos have struggled to find a franchise quarterback.

This is what the Saints have to avoid now that Brees is off golfing and enjoying his retirement. They’ve put themselves in a decent position to have a respectable 2021 season with Winston and Hill as their two main options and, if worst comes to worst, they can draft a quarterback in 2022.

For now, though, New Orleans is seeing what it has in these two quarterbacks and while some people aren’t sold on Hill or Winston as long-term starters, the Saints could be in a far worse position than what they’re currently in.