The NOLA Saints don’t have a quarterback in place for the 2022 season. They could re-sign Jameis Winston but if they don’t, they’ll likely be forced to turn to the draft in order to find their starting signal-caller for 2022 and beyond.
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report wrote that the biggest draft mistake the Saints could make would be to ‘force a quarterback selection’. In his write-up, he assumes the team ends up bringing back Winston.
Sobleski offered this analysis:
"The Saints own the 18th pick. They could force a quarterback selection depending on who’s available. Or they can continue to build around a 28-year-old who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2015 and who showed promise in their system.By not necessarily worrying about a quarterback in the first round, the Saints can look to address other need areas, such as the offensive line, defensive line and wide receiver."
NOLA Saints can’t reach on a QB in 2022 NFL Draft
Most fans would probably sign up for Winston re-signing on maybe a two-year deal and the Saints not having to worry about drafting a quarterback this year but that might not be what happens. If Winston signs elsewhere, suddenly NOLA is left with options like Teddy Bridgewater and Mitchell Trubisky in free agency. That’s not ideal.
That’s when the team probably eyes a signal-caller in the first round, whether it’s Matt Corral or Sam Howell, whoever it may be. I do get Sobleski’s point about the team being able to target other strong needs if they pass on a quarterback but if Winston isn’t retained, New Orleans might have to make this mistake due to limited available options.
The quarterbacks in this class aren’t great but unfortunately for the New Orleans Saints, they might be backed into a corner where they’re forced to draft one in the first round. Hopefully, they can re-sign Winston and that can be the end of this ‘drafting a quarterback’ talk.