If Jameis Winston wins the battle to become the New Orleans Saints' starting quarterback, he plans to push the ball downfield.
At least, that's what his words of advice to Tre'Quan Smith, shared by the wide receiver during minicamp, would appear to indicate.
"Jameis already told me, he was like 'man listen, when I got the ball, whatever you do, don't stop running," Smith said. " 'Because you know, I'm looking forward to stretching the ball this year. So please don't stop running on me. Don't make me look bad if you not running.' So I definitely think we're looking to stretch the ball a lot this year."
Smith elaborated on what exactly that meant, with distance figures that would likely gain approval of those critical of the Saints' less vertical offensive approach in the latter years of Drew Brees' career.
So what changes?
"If your route is usually a decoy route, and it takes you all the way down the field, now it's still an option," Smith said. "Like he said, 'don't stop running' ... because you know you got a decoy route, you take your guy out of there. But now he's like, 'don't stop running, because I'ma come backside. And if it's open I'ma throw you it. I don't care if you're 60-70 yards down the field, I'm gonna throw it.' So that's kinda how it is."
Smith is entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract after being drafted in the third round out of Central Florida in 2018. He's battled injury and inconsistency over his three NFL seasons, logging 80 catches catches for 1,109 yards and 14 touchdowns over that span. But he flashed in multiple games in the 2020 season and as the Saints battled depth issues at wide receiver.
Smith had a pair of touchdown catches and a pivotal first down conversion late in a comeback win over the Detroit Lions in Week 4, and he also caught a pair of touchdown passes -- one on a trick play thrown by Winston -- in the playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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With veteran Emmanuel Sanders now a member of the Buffalo Bills, Smith views the Saints' decision not to bring any big names or spend any high picks at the WR position as a vote of confidence. And he views the versatility he's gained at multiple positions as one of his greatest strengths as he heads into the 2021 season as the likely No. 2 behind star Michael Thomas.
"I feel like it's a big opportunity for me ... I feel like they expect me to show up this year," Smith said. "And that's just what I'm gonna do, and I appreciate that."
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