Jameis Winston laughs at training camp stumble
In a video of today’s New Orleans Saints practice, quarterback Jameis Winston was caught having a rough time on camera during drills in training camp. During a running drill through pads, Winston could be seen bumping between them as they knocked him off balance. He took to Twitter afterwards to laugh at the embarrassing video.
Jameis Winston’s training camp trip-up
The video drew laughs his direction on social media, as people laughed that a veteran quarterback and NFL athlete would have trouble in a simple drill. Jameis himself found it funny, telling fans “That second pad on the left got me with that hit stick!”
Seeing Winston in such a good mood is encouraging for Saints fans who are hoping he’s ready to start. Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees retired last season, and the New Orleans fixture left large shoes to fill. Brees played 15 years for the Saints, and started the fourth most games in NFL history at 286.
Winston joined the Saints in 2020 as Brees’ backup, with the intent to eventually become his replacement. In his first five seasons with the NFL, Winston played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Among his highlights had his infamous “30 and 30” season in 2019, where he threw for 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
He posted a career high in yards the same year, with a eighth highest of all time 5,109. The quarterback he’s attempting to follow in New Orleans has shown fans what high yardage looks like. Brees has four of the seven seasons above his in the record books.
QB battle in New Orleans
Winston’s role as starter is not a guarantee. Quarterback Taysom Hill entered the league as an undrafted free agent, and eventually was claimed off waivers by the Saints. Since joining the team he has done anything they need of him playing special teams, returning kicks, running the ball, and even catching passes for touchdowns.
Head coach Sean Payton isn’t ruling out the option of using both Winston and Hill at the quarterback position. In a post-practice press conference on July 31, he told reporters that the duo were working well together.
“They’ve both (Winston and Hill) had really good camps and have had some really nice throws. Both have put a ton of time in and been fantastic together,” stated Payton via the Saints’ website.
Part of bringing in Winston to be their quarterback is the criticism levied at his turnover rates. Payton is aware of these issues and they are certain to be working on this throughout training camp as they prepare for the 2021 season.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images