It's Christmas Eve, but the Saints are still hard at work bolstering their quarterback depth ahead of a Monday Night Football showdown with the Miami Dolphins.
With starting QB Taysom Hill and backup Trevor Siemian both landing on the COVID list Thursday, the Saints have signed veteran Blake Bortles, according to a report from NOLA.com.
With little time to learn the playbook, it'll still likely be rookie Ian Book that gets the start should neither of Hill or Siemian test out of COVID protocol in time to play. But the signing gives the Saints at least one quarterback to serve in a backup role on gameday. Behind him, it'd likely be Alvin Kamara as the next player in line to take snaps should it come to that.
Bortles was the No. 3 overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014, but has become a journeyman backup the past few seasons. He was last with the Green Bay Packers earlier this season but never saw the field. In his career 17,649 yards and 103 touchdowns against 75 interceptions.
The quarterbacks were among 11 players sent to the COVID list throughout the week, a group that also includes:
- TE Adam Trautman
- TE Juwan Johnson
- OL James Carpenter
- LB Kaden Elliss
- DE Jalyn Holmes
- S Malcolm Jenkins
- S Jeff Heath
- OT Jordan Mills
- DT Christian Ringo
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A 12th player was added to that list Saturday morning, according to a report from NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan, in the form of special teams ace J.T. Gray. It's a significant blow, considering Gray leads the NFL with 14 solo special teams tackles, and was named to his first Pro Bowl earlier in the week.
There's a chance that some of those 12 players can return in time for the game, with the extra day allowing a bit of extra wiggle room. Under the NFL's updated protocols, any vaccinated player can return if he is asymptomatic for a minimum of 24 hours and logs two negative tests, which can be taken concurrently. Previously those tests had to be taken 24 hours apart.
But there is some good news, as Duncan also reports. Saints head coach Sean Payton was returned to the team Friday morning, the first time since he tested positive for COVID a week ago. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has been serving as the interim head coach during Payton's absence.
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