Saints not naming starter starter despite big day for Jameis Winston

The New Orleans Saints’ quarterback battle between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill has hung over the franchise since Drew Brees announced his retirement in March. With just over two weeks until the start of the regular season, a decision is looming.

Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke about the quarterback battle and updated his timeline after a 23-21 preseason win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday.

“I don’t have a timeframe,” Payton said, via NFL.com. “When we know what direction we’re going, we’ll let you guys know. We’re not going to try to anticipate saying hey it’s gonna be mid-week or next week. But I was pleased with not just the quarterbacks but how we played as a team for the most part.”

The Saints open the regular season on Sept. 12 at home against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. They head on the road in week two to face their first divisional test against the Carolina Panthers.

The quarterback battle

Winston is the more accomplished quarterback in this battle, going No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft before starting five seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He joined the Saints last year, hoping to revitalize his career as Brees’ backup.

Former Florida State star again made the most of his snaps on three drives against the Jaguars. He threw for 123 yards with two touchdown passes and a 157.5 quarterback rating.

“I haven’t started a football game in so long, so I was just so excited to get an opportunity to start and lead the pack,” Winston said, via NFL.com. “It was exciting and the rhythm was great.”

Coming off the bench in the first preseason game, Winston threw for 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a 77.1 quarterback rating.

Hill entered the game at the end of the first quarterback and played into the second half. The former BYU quarterback and long-time gadget player for the Saints could not match Winston’s efficiency on Monday night.

Hill threw for 138 yards and a touchdown but posted a 93.3 quarterback rating off the bench.

The Saints have now used both quarterbacks in a starting role this preseason, with Hill getting the first shot against the Baltimore Ravens in week one.

Hill started off the preseason by throwing for 81 yards with an interception for a 51.1 quarterback rating.

The Saints finish their preseason schedule on Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals. Despite Payton’s lack of a timeline, the week three starter will likely be the frontrunner for the job.