With quarterback Jameis Winston out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in Week Eight, there’s some clarity on who the Saints will have behind center when they play the Falcons this weekend.
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, New Orleans is expected to start Trevor Siemian on Sunday.
Siemian came on after Winston went out with his knee injury in the first half and played the majority of last week’s victory over Tampa Bay. Siemian completed 16-of-29 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown. He was sacked once and fumbled once, but recovered the loose ball.
Siemian hasn’t started a game since 2019, when he played just a handful of snaps against the Browns before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
He arrived with the Saints last November when then-quarterback Drew Brees was out for a few weeks with injured ribs. He stuck around on the practice squad when Brees returned and signed a futures deal with New Orleans after the season was over.
Siemian, 29, started 24 games for the Broncos over 2016-2017, compiling a 13-11 record. He completed 59.3 percent of his passes with Denver for 5,686 yards with 30 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
New Orleans also has Taysom Hill and Ian Book available as quarterback options. But keeping Siemian at QB means the saints can continue to use Hill in a utility role on offense. He’s likely to return this week after missing the last two games with a concussion.
Hill and Winston competed for the starting job at training camp. Winston had completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,170 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.