Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Saints had 3 players start for the first time this season tonight: Caleb Benenoch, Ian Book and Easop Winston Jr., bringing their total to 57 different starters this season, an NFL record (1 ahead of this year's Texans and the 2019 Dolphins).
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) December 28, 2021
Yikes. This isn’t exactly a record to boast about — the New Orleans Saints broke an NFL record for fielding the most starters in a single season, having lost players at every position group during a COVID-19 outbreak that followed weeks of injuries and eroded depth all across the roster.
With rookie quarterback Ian Book starting alongside backup right tackle Caleb Benenoch and practice squad wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. in Monday night’s game with the Miami Dolphins, the Saints set a new standard with 57 different starters in 2021.
That beat the record the Dolphins themselves set in 2019 (56 different starters), which was tied by the Houston Texans this year. It’s close, though, so maybe Houston can take it back from New Orleans by year’s end.
