The New Orleans Saints could see a quarterback switch-up in the coming weeks with Jameis Winston coming in to replace Andy Dalton.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Winston is 100 percent healthy right now. Head coach Dennis Allen recently discussed the possibility of benching Dalton and mentioned that Winston was still dealing with nagging injuries.
The Saints saw how ineffective Winston was when he played hurt at the beginning of the season, yet Dalton has noticeably declined in form after a pitiful two-pick performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10.
There's no obvious right answer here, and Allen told reporters the Saints will evaluate all options as the team heads into the second half of the season.
NOLA Saints will have a quarterback conundrum for the rest of 2022
Dennis Allen on a potential switch at QB: "I think we've got to evaluate that. I think that's something that we need to look at."
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) November 14, 2022
He said he's not sure Jameis Winston will ever be at 100% healthy this season with what he's been dealing with, and that'll be a factor. #Saints
I think DA was pretty clear there. I’m even though Jameis may not be 100% for the rest of this year, they feel he’s healthy enough to be in the conversation when it comes to QB. He also made it clear that the #Saints offense hasn’t performed up the expectation these past weeks.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) November 14, 2022
Other than a surprising blowout of the Las Vegas Raiders, Andy Dalton has failed to bring out the best in the Saints' offense this far into the year. In seven starts, he has a 2-5 record and has thrown 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
Part of Dalton's struggles are tied to New Orleans' heavily injured offensive line, but even in soft pressure, Dalton hasn't proven he can consistently get points on the board.
Given how nonexistent the Saints' run game is in 2022, the team will need much better play at quarterback. Wideouts Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry are still elite options who can elevate this offense, but only if they have a reliable quarterback throwing them catchable passes.
Will Dalton or Winston start in Week 11? The jury's still out on that one.