Saints’ Ian Book was one of the worst QBs in the league in 2021
By Kristen Wong
New Orleans Saints rookie Ian Book was ranked as one of the worst quarterbacks in 2021 to no one’s surprise whatsoever.
Book only played in one game — the game that Drew Brees was reportedly considering to play in after Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian were both unavailable.
In Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins, Book threw an interception immediately and proceeded to struggle all game in the Saints’ offense. He finished with 135 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions and NOLA lost crucial ground in the playoff race.
NFL’s Gregg Rosenthal recently ranked all 62 starting quarterbacks in the 2021 season, and surprise surprise, Book was listed second to last.
"Book, a fourth-round pick in 2021, recently said he hoped to compete to start for the Saints in 2022. I wouldn’t expect a player to say anything less, and I wouldn’t expect it to happen unless this offseason goes seriously wrong for the Saints."
New Orleans Saints’ Ian Book gets predictably awful grade in 2021
Though Sean Payton said it was “impossible” to evaluate Book’s play given the amount of roster injuries (the Saints were missing key offensive tackles), don’t expect Book to be back in 2022.
The Notre Dame prospect was rarely activated to the starting roster when the Saints were going through the worst of their quarterback troubles, and next season he likely won’t see the field at all.
The Saints are better off re-signing Jameis Winston, who ranked 21st on Rosenthal’s list. Even Taysom Hill is ranked 30th, perhaps only due to his baffling four wins in five starts.
As potential playoff-contenders, the Saints probably won’t start any rookie quarterback in 2022. If they draft a player — say, Matt Corral — then in an ideal scenario, he would sit his first year and learn from someone more experienced like Winston.
Barring an offseason catastrophe where the Saints somehow lose all their quarterback options, Book might be considered as a backup, at best.
Next. 4 QB options that would be mistakes for the Saints to add in 2022. dark
Saints fans pray the team finds some stability at the quarterback position this season. Their playoff hopes depend on it.