The next jersey quarterback Jameis Winston will put on remains a mystery, but he's making sure everyone knows he'll be ready to put it on -- whatever it looks like.
The 28-year-old quarterback has been documenting his rehab from a significant knee injury suffered in Week 9 of the 2021 season, and he's taken significant strides this week. Those strides came in a harness and on a treadmill, but he'll take it however it happens. It was the first time Winston ran since the injury, according to the post.
But that's not all. The quarterback also took the field and unleashed some deep passes, another positive sign that he's headed in the right direction as he prepares to enter free agency this offseason.
There was no specific target audience for his videos, but the Saints are certainly among the teams that will be watching closely. There's no clear plan for the next starting quarterback in New Orleans, and it very well could be Winston. He's spent the past two seasons with the Saints on 1-year deals, this past season winning an offseason quarterback battle against Taysom Hill for the starting job.
Winston's gaudy numbers from his Bucs days didn't appear during his first seven starts, but neither did the turnover issues that have hampered the former No. 1 overall pick throughout the first stop of his NFL career. Winston completed 59% of his passes for 1,170 yards and threw 14 touchdowns against just 3 interceptions as he led the Saints to a 4-2 record prior to his injury. Trevor Siemian took over in that game against the Bucs and led the Saints the rest of the way to a victory and a 5-2 record.
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But those good vibes went away quickly, with the next four games all started by Siemian, and all four ending in a Saints loss. Hill took over the rest of the way, interrupted in Week 16 and a loss started by rookie Ian Book, and won all four of his starts with the Saints narrowly missing the postseason with a 9-8 record.
It's also possible the Saints' next starting quarterback is in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine this week, where New Orleans' coaches will be getting a close look at the prospects for the upcoming draft. The draft is widely considered to be light on potential franchise quarterbacks, but that could work into the Saints' hands as they could have their pick of the signal-callers on the table when they go on the clock at No. 18.
But then again, Winston's workouts could be the most important.