Saints 2021 roster breakdown: A QB battle for starting job, and who's the backup?

JAMEIS WINSTON

AGE: 27
NUMBER: 2
COLLEGE: Florida State
2020 SEASON: 4 games played; 7-for-11 passing; 75 yards; postseason: 1-for-1; 56 yards; TD

NOTES: The former No. 1 overall pick played his first five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing as a backup with the Saints in 2020. He'll compete with Taysom Hill for the starting job after the retirement of Drew Brees.

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TAYSOM HILL

AGE: 30
NUMBER: 7
COLLEGE: BYU
YEARS IN NFL: 4
2020 SEASON: 16 games played; 88-for-121 passing; 928 yards; 4 TDs/3 INTs; 3 fumbles; 87 rushing attempts for 457 yards and 8 TDs; 8 fumbles as ball-carrier

NOTES: Taysom Hill got his first extended run as a starting quarterback in 2020, going 3-1 while Drew Brees was out with rib and lung injuries. He saw by far the most passing attempts of his career, completing 70% of them, but had his struggles down the stretch. He was injured and missed the Saints' playoff loss to the Bucs. He'll compete with Jameis Winston for the starting job in training camp.

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JEFF'S TAKE: Analyst takes in recent weeks have indicated Hill has the inside track on this job, but I'd advise you to take those reports with a large grain of salt. Even if Payton knows his preference at this point, it's unlikely the Saints would surrender one of their clear competitive advantages this early. That advantage is mystery. The Saints don't have to tell opponents whom they should scout at quarterback, and I don't expect them to until it's absolutely necessary.

That said, while Jameis is the clear fan-favorite -- Hill is a very real candidate to fill the Saints' starting quarterback job. The team trusted him enough to run out as the starter for four games in the 2020 season and they did that for a reason. Still, I don't believe this is going to be as clear-cut of a QB competition as many are choosing to analyze. Both quarterbacks are competing more against themselves than each other. Both are on one-year deals and need to prove to the coaching staff they can be the quarterback of the future. There's a possibility that both "win" and earn themselves a shot at the job. There's a possibility -- a slim one -- that both "lose" and the Saints pick a starter, but know they'll have put the evaluator cap back on to ID the long-term QB solution. Just beating out the other shouldn't be either Winston nor Hill's primary goal.

I still see the most likely scenario as Winston winning the job out of camp, but Taysom doing enough to merit a bigger role as a passer. Should Winston struggle over the first half of the season and the need for a change develop, a "win" for Hill could be putting himself in line to fully take the reins. Should Jameis play well, the Saints would have the luxury to destroy any defense's gameplan by giving Hill entire series of work throughout games when it serves as the most advantageous. Hill logged 13 total passing attempts throughout his first three seasons. That number spiked to 121 in 2020, seven of which came over the 12 games he wasn't a starter. If Winston comes out of training camp as the starter, but Hill still manages to log about 100 passing attempts, would that not be a "win?"

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NEXT: Potential backups

IAN BOOK (rookie)

AGE: 23
NUMBER: 16
COLLEGE: Notre Dame
DRAFTED: 4th round, No. 133 overall

NOTES: The Saints' 4th-round pick in this year's draft has drawn comparisons to Drew Brees in terms of stature and physical ability, but has a lot of work to establish a role on this Saints squad. The former Notre Dame quarterback did one thing ascendantly well in college. He won. A lot. Book's 30 wins are an all-time Notre Dame record for a starting quarterback.

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TREVOR SIEMIAN

AGE: 29
NUMBER: 15
COLLEGE: Northwestern
YEARS IN NFL: 6
2020 SEASON: DNP

NOTES: The veteran quarterback and former Denver Broncos starter was brought in for depth purposes amid the pandemic, but never saw the field with the Saints. He'll compete with Ian Book for a depth role on this year's team but would be a long shot to earn playing time.

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JEFF'S TAKE: While there typically wouldn't be a ton of intrigue in the third-string QB job, with the way the Saints operate the position gains added importance. The position loses value if Hill wins the starting job, with Winston likely serving as the true backup. But in a scenario where Winston is the starter, the third-string QB has traditionally served as the game-day backup as Hill works in the offense for his Swiss Army Knife role. We saw this when Brees went down with rib and lung injuries against the 49ers and Winston started the second half in relief, only for Hill to take over as the starter the next four weeks.

While Siemian has the advantage of experience, the Saints invested a 4th-round selection on Book and the college star will likely get the inside track on this enviable position. It's possible Siemian is kept around the roster, especially with COVID absences a real concern again this season, but Book is the one who will draw attention as coaches evaluate his skillset at the NFL level.