Jameis Winston made a few things clear when he spoke openly to the media this week for the first time since he stepped back with injuries, a move that ultimately cost him his job.
He's healthy enough to step back in right now, but there's no space to do that. That's because he lost his job "due to injury," something that wasn't supposed to happen based on conversations he had with the coaching staff prior to the Week 4 game in London.
"I'm healthy enough to play ... but my role right now is to be the leader that I need to be, not the leader that I want to be," Winston said. "So that's all I can do."
Saints head coach Dennis Allen first announced that backup Andy Dalton would officially succeed Winston in the starting role prior to Week 8, after which the Saints defeated the Raiders 24-0. His caveat at the time was based on the offense, which had been a top-10 group to that point. If the offense kept rolling, Dalton would keep rolling. But the offense has done anything but shine in back-to-back losses to the Ravens and Steelers with 13 and 10 points scored, respectively. Allen said the coaching staff would re-evaluate the situation, but ultimately chose to stick with Dalton.
Winston wouldn't speculate on whether his health continues to be a factor. His back and foot injuries were significant, and it's unlikely he'll get back to 100% at any point this season. He led the team to a franchise-record comeback in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, but struggled in the next two losses (vs Bucs; at Panthers) as he played through the injuries.
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He adds that he knows he shouldn't have attempted to play in Week 2, but the competitor in him won out as he went into the matchup against his former team. His 2021 season was ended by a knee injury on the same field against the same opponent.
He'll still wear the "big team, little me" shirt, support his teammates, Dalton and his coaching staff however they need it, while conceding that "it hurts my soul" not to be on the field. And he says he'll stay ready when the time comes for him to go back out there. It's unclear whether offensive performance is still a factor. For now, Jameis Winston is Andy Dalton's backup.
"When you're ready to go, you're ready to go. But it is what it is. And I owe it to this team to be in the role that I'm in right now. I owe it to this offense, to everyone. Shoot, I should apologize to the fans, because I know some of them want to see me out there," Winston said. "But I think winning makes a lot of things better. So we need to go out there and start with this week, get a win as a team, because no one person makes a team win. We've got to get a team win and I think we all be better at the end of the day."
The Saints (3-7) host the L.A. Rams in Week 11.
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