It seems that New Orleans Saints starting quarterback Jameis Winston may not be available for the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday morning in London, England.
On Wednesday morning, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Saints QB was not at practice as the team prepares for their game at 9:30 AM ET inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Adding more smoke to the possible fire surrounding Winston’s availability this weekend, Times-Picayune and NOLA.com contributor Jeff Duncan reported that the team’s practice today was full steam ahead in preparation for the 28-year-old possibly being out for Sunday’s matchup with the Vikings.
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“Looks like the Saints are preparing in case they have to make a change at quarterback. Jameis Winston was not at practice today. Andy Dalton took first-team reps at QB, with Taysom Hill receiving reps as a reserve QB. This is different than past weeks.”
However, in a possible sign of hope that Winston could be in the lineup for Week 4, NewOrleans.Football contributor Nick Underhill claimed soon after the original reports that Saints head coach Dennis Allen “anticipates Jameis practicing tomorrow.”
Jameis Winston battling broken bones in his back ahead of the New Orleans Saints game in London
Winston’s health and availability could be an issue for the entirety of the 2022 season. In the fourth quarter of the team’s Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft took a big hit to his back and was checked by medical staff. A week after the blow, NFL insider Jay Glazer revealed that the former Florida State star had four fractures in his back and was dealing with a bunch of pain.
- Jameis Winston stats (2022): 858 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT, 79.5 rating
Over the first three weeks of the season, Winston has not looked good and has had some especially rough performances over the last two weeks. After putting up a rating of 111.0 and throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions in a Week 1 win, Winston’s rating in the following weeks was nearly slashed in half and his TD to INT ratio is 2-5. The Saints lost both of those games, scoring a combined 24 points after scoring 27 in the season opener.
Following the team’s loss in Week 3, Allen maintained that Winston is not in danger of losing his starting spot anytime soon.