The future of the quarterback situation in New Orleans Saints is not as secure as it seems. Drew Brees, the starter, and Teddy Bridgewater, his backup, are both scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next March. Reserve quarterback Taysom Hill will also be a restricted free agent. That leaves practice squad fixture J.T. Barrett as the only passer under contract after 2019.
So it’s logical to look around the college ranks and try to identify a top college prospect who fits the Saints. Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report did just that, connecting the Saints with Georgia Bulldogs star Jake Fromm.
Fromm has been sensational for the Bulldogs, winning SEC Freshman of the Year recognition in 2017 before completing 67.4 percent of his passes (with 30 touchdowns to just six interceptions) as a sophomore. But beyond those superficial numbers, Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney sees plenty of similarities in Fromm and a young Brees, who Chaney taught as Purdue’s quarterbacks coach back in the day.
“What are the commonalities?” Chaney told Seth Emerson of the Athletic. “They both have very high FBI — football intellect. They get it. They understand. They both affect other players in a very positive way. They both have proven to win football games. The differences I don’t even want to touch on, but they share those traits.”
At just 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Fromm isn’t the most physically-imposing quarterback or the passer with the most athletic gifts. And that hasn’t mattered to Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart, who praised his quarterback’s ability to stand above the noise in an appearance on Paul Finebaum’s ESPN radio show.
“When you play in our league, there is nowhere to hide,” Smart said. “You cannot hide in our league. You cannot hide behind a running game, you cannot hide behind a short passing game. You have to be able to play the game, get your protections right. I mean he goes into the toughest environments for two years now and has played really well.”
It’s easy to buy Fromm’s fit in the Saints offense. But it’s too soon to worry too much about the 2020 rookie quarterback class, or even whether Brees, Bridgewater, or Hill will still be around, much less taking reps from under center. But it’s good to know that the Saints will have options later on down the line.
