Less than seven months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Jameis Winston is back on the practice field. He isn’t going full speed with everything yet, but it’s a good sign for the Saints quarterback in his bid to be fully healthy for Week 1.
Winston said his top priority now is strenthening the area around his meniscus.
“Drops are at full speed right now,” Winston said, via John DeShazier of the team website. “Still progressing into running. But I’m more just taking advantage of every opportunity I can get. I’m happy I can take full-speed reps with passing, not rolling out and stuff yet. (But) everything is going great.”
Winston has a brace on his knee, of course, and will wear it all season.
“I think everyone does that after an ACL, especially at the quarterback position,” Winston said. “There’s nothing limiting. There’s nothing that really bothers you from that perspective. So, I’m commanding the brace now.”
Winston, 28, threw 14 touchdowns, three interceptions, and the Saints had a 5-2 record in Winston’s seven starts. He injured his knee in an Oct. 31 game against the Bucs, which required season-ending surgery.
He spent the rest of the season rehabbing and began to feel a return to normalcy early in the offseason.
“I felt in three months that I was back to this point,” Winston said. “But I’m always embracing the process, always trying to find new ways. It’s actually a blessing in disguise, being able to strengthen other muscles – my hip flexors, my glutes, my quads and hamstrings. Just kind of revamping my whole body and just making sure everything is tight-knit and ready to go.”