Saints not in a position to draft a quality quarterback

Welcome to the abyss.

In the NFL, the abyss is when you have enough good players to compete but aren’t good enough at quarterback to make a deep run in the playoffs.

And, one aspect of the abyss is that you are not bad enough to have a really bad season, which would give you a chance to draft a quarterback with a Top 5 pick in the first round.

So, what will the Saints do? They could be stuck in the middle for a while.

Since Drew Brees retired, over a span of 20 games, the Saints have posted 10 wins and 10 losses.

When you lose a Hall of Fame quarterback, football life is very different. Last season, Sean Payton got a taste of that and took the opportunity to walk away and hit the reset button.

If you want to know where Payton will be coaching in 2023, just find a team that is set up at quarterback.

In 2006, Payton made a decision that changed his life, and his bank account, forever. He signed Drew Brees.

There’s good fortune, and then there’s the NFL version of the Powerball. Payton hit the latter.

In the immediate future, Dennis Allen has a decision: Does he stick with Winston? Or, does he even entertain the thought of going with backup Andy Dalton?

If Winston plays efficiently, he is clearly the choice. But, will he? After three games, Winston has a career-low passer rating. That’s right, career low.

You say, how is that possible? Especially with Winston throwing for 858 yards through three games.

Well, a huge part of the passer rating is the number of interceptions, and, in the last two games, Winston has thrown five. He’s actually thrown five in the last five quarters.

If the Jameis Winston who played in Atlanta is the Jameis Winston moving forward, then there’s promise. Even though the Saints trailed Atlanta, 23-10, after three quarters, Winston did not throw a pick. By not making the big mistake, his team had a chance to win the game.

Winston is playing with various ailments, including four cracked vertebrae in his back. How much has it limited him? Both he and head coach Dennis Allen have refused to shed any light.

But, if he continues to throw interceptions, Allen has to go to Dalton. Dalton has playoff experience as a starter. He could get the Saints’ offense in rhythm, by making good decisions, throwing quickly and taking care of the football.

There’s a reason why the Saints signed Dalton to a one-year, $3 million contract, all of it guaranteed: For situations exactly like this.

In the meantime, watching football Sunday, network TV showed a graphic of how many starters at quarterback the Broncos have had since Peyton Manning retired after winning the Super Bowl in 2015.

That total was 11.

So, in the offseason, the Broncos traded five draft picks (including two No. 1 picks) and three players to Seattle for Russell Wilson. Wilson promptly led Denver on a game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.

Meantime, the Saints, to me, look like a team that is pressing. They know their margin for error is small. Mistakes are hard to overcome, so they try not to make them.    

And, then they make more.

Life in the NFL without a franchise quarterback is difficult.

It is no fun in the abyss.

Ed Daniels is sports director at ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].