Andy Dalton took snaps with the starters in practice, but it's not what you think
By Kristen Wong
Even though the New Orleans Saints let Andy Dalton take first-team reps in practice on Wednesday, he'll probably still serve as the backup in Week 4.
No surprising quarterback news to see here. The Saints decided to give Jameis Winston a rest day, which meant Dalton and Taysom Hill shared starting snaps under center today.
Yet the plan remains the same: NOLA will start Winston against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, per Dennis Allen's previous comments.
Winston has been dealing with back and ankle injuries that caused him to be limited in Week 2 and Week 3, and he gets a much-needed break ahead of Week 4's fixture.
According to ESPN's Katherine Terrell, Winston will be back for Thursday's practice.
DA says they wanted to give Jameis rest and he anticipates he'll be back out at practice tomorrow
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) September 28, 2022
Dennis Allen said the Saints planned all along for Taysom Hill to get some QB reps as the season went along, so his QB reps weren’t necessarily related to Jameis Winston’s injury.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) September 28, 2022
Allen said Hill’s own injuries dating back to preseason have limited his chances to take QB snaps.
Saints rest Jameis Winston ahead of overseas matchup against Vikings in Week 4
Some other notables on the Saints' injury report include Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Tre'Quan Smith -- Thomas and Landry did not practice at all on Wednesday while Smith participated in a limited capacity.
The plethora of wideout injuries could clear the way for rookie Chris Olave to lead the team's receiving corps after a fruitful 147-yard performance in Week 3.
Olave and Winston have been struggling to get on the same page since Week 1, but there's hope for the rookie to finally find the end zone if Thomas and Landry miss time.
Winston can use the extra rest time to heal and also reflect on his poor performances of late: he's thrown more picks than touchdowns so far this season and needs to improve his game to save NOLA's 2022 season.
Next. Most Disappointing Trades in Saints History. dark
Let's see what version of Winston we get in Week 4.