Jameis Winston is progressing in his recovery from last week’s foot injury, but the New Orleans Saints quarterback isn’t all the way back just yet. And the Saints will continue to treat him cautiously — on Wednesday, head coach Dennis Allen ruled him out of Friday night’s preseason game with the Green Bay Packers.
When asked specifically if Winston could suit up in the upcoming exhibition game, Allen responded, “I don’t think so.” So we’ll likely see more from Andy Dalton than the 10 plays he ran against the Houston Texans last week, with K.J. Costello possibly relieving Ian Book by the fourth quarter.
It makes sense to take things slowly here, even if Winston is making some progress. He led individual passing drills at Wednesday’s joint practice in Green Bay, though the Saints sidelined him during full-squad activities. Last week’s foot sprain didn’t seem to be limiting him too badly as he sprinted to join the offense early in practice.
But the team’s medical staff (which received a heavy investment this offseason with sports science director Matt Rhea poached from Alabama’s renowned college program) is sticking to its guns here, and ultimately that’s what’s best for both the team and for Winston. He has plenty of time to get back up to speed before the regular season kicks off. Throwing him into action with live opponents trying to hit him before his body can handle it would be, well, unwise. Let’s see how this plays out.
