Winston has "leg up" in QB competition

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport's "read" is that Jameis Winston has the "leg up" on the Saints' starting QB job. Rapoport adds that there will be a competition between Winston and Taysom Hill this summer but that Winston "really impressed in practice" last year. Hill reportedly stepped in when Drew Brees went down only because HC Sean Payton had promised Hill that he'd get an opportunity. This will be 1 of the biggest training camp battles to track -- not only for Winston and Hill's fantasy values, but also Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara's.

Saints QB Jameis Winston has yet to be cleared for 11-on-11 workouts, according to the team website. Winston has been seen on the field in OTAs but is awaiting that final clearance to practice in full. We'd expect it to come at least by some early point in training camp but will keep an eye on the situation. Andy Dalton has run the starting offense in Winston's absence this week.

Saints QB Jameis Winston was on the field with his team at OTAs this week. Katherine Terrell of The Athletic noted that he wore a "bulky" brace and sported a limp that "seemed more prominent when walking versus running." Neither of those things should be surprising for a player coming off an ACL repair, and it's obviously good that Winston was even taking part in the voluntary workouts. The QB said, though, that overcoming the ACL tear hasn't been the biggest challenge in this process. “The biggest thing about my specific injury was the meniscus,” he said. “It wasn’t the ACL and MCL. The MCL actually healed on its own before surgery and the ACL, Dr. Neal ElAttrache did a phenomenal job. … It was a pretty simple procedure. But the meniscus repair has been the biggest limiter for me right now, in terms of moving, rolling out, in terms of certain movements that I’m not able to do just because of the timetable of the recovery. But my ACL is very stable, my MCL is very stable. Right now I’m building around and fighting with the meniscus.” Again, the fact that Winston is on the field at all this early keeps us from worrying too much. But his progression through summer will certainly be worth tracking.

Per NFL insider Albert Breer, Saints QB Jameis Winston is nearing full clearance from his October ACL tear. Winston will meet with surgeon Neal S. ElAttrache around the end of next month. “End of June is when I’ll be fully cleared,” Winston announced. “Camp, I’ll be full go.” With Michael Thomas, Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry as top targets, Winston could supply some spot-start value this fall.

Saints QB Jameis Winston was a limited participant in OTAs this week, according to The Athletic's Katherine Terrell. Winston took part in individual drills, 7-on-7s and some 11-on-11s but was sporting a "bulky" brace and had a noticeable limp, per Terrell. Winston just resumed running earlier this month after last October's season-ending left knee injury. “The biggest thing about my specific injury was the meniscus,” Winston told reporters. “It wasn’t the ACL and MCL. The MCL actually healed on its own before surgery and the ACL, Dr. Neal ElAttrache did a phenomenal job. … It was a pretty simple procedure. But the meniscus repair has been the biggest limiter for me right now, in terms of moving, rolling out, in terms of certain movements that I’m not able to do just because of the timetable of the recovery. But my ACL is very stable, my MCL is very stable. Right now I’m building around and fighting with the meniscus.” The fact that Winston was on the field at all in May is a positive sign. We're expecting him to be under center for the Saints come Week 1.

New Saints HC Dennis Allen confirmed that QB Jameis Winston is on track to start Week 1. Recall that Winston suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 of last season. "Well, certainly that's certainly the plan," Allen said. "There's a lot of days between now and Week 1, but we certainly like where he's at right now. We like the progress that he's making. Man, I really loved a lot of the things that he did last year for us -- 14 touchdowns, three interceptions. There was just some really good stuff that you see. And my vision and my hope is that he continues to progress on the same level as he gets another year in the system." New Orleans passed on adding a QB in the draft. Instead, they bolstered the offense with WR Chris Olave and OT Trevor Penning. Winston, for now, profiles as a clear QB2 with spot-start potential.