One thing I love about NFL coaches is that the good ones are brash and bold enough to believe they can fix anyone and everyone. Particularly at the quarterback position. And especially the ones who seem the most broken.
The New Orleans Saints have a growing reputation as a home for strays, castoffs, and misfit toys. They helped rebuild Teddy Bridgewater’s stock, leading him to sign a big-money deal with the Panthers. They found a home for Taysom Hill, a Swiss-Army Knife type who quarterbacked the Saints to some wins. And now, they are giving Jameis Winston another go with Drew Brees out of the picture.
From the outside looking in, working under Sean Payton provides an opportunity to get right. Think of a one-year deal in New Orleans as a quarterback-saving seminar. And with that in mind, Jane Slater makes a connection that I figure would be of interest to some:
Now that we have covered the 2 battling for the starting job in New Orleans…what other QBs might the #Saints call for depth and in the QBs case…rehab their career. pic.twitter.com/37ewLcmDhd
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 16, 2021
Some interesting reporting from Slater, who lands on Mitchell Trubisky as a possible option for the Saints in a roundabout way.
Slater, while reporting on Sam Ehlinger’s Pro Day at Texas, caught up with Jeff Christensen, who happens to be coaching up Ehlinger these days. Some fans might recall Christensen’s name because he was the QB guru Trubisky visited in the offseason to gear up for 2020. Others might remember that Trubisky said he tweaked his mechanics for the first time, fittingly enough after spending the offseason with Christensen. Trubisky was even seen in-season working on mechanical adjustments. It takes some connecting of dots, but I can see Trubisky being the next reclamation project. Because that’s where he is at this point in his career. More importantly, I can envision the Saints willing to take a flier for that challenge.
And yet, the fit is curious. How many quarterbacks do the Saints need? I suppose that, because they essentially had three QBs on the roster last year, they could run it back again. Listing Winston and Trubisky as QBs would allow Hill to remain in that jack-of-many-trades role he fills so well. But two project quarterbacks on one roster? Color me intrigued.