Andy Dalton with Saints to help Jameis Winston 'any way that I can'

When veteran quarterback Andy Dalton signed with the Chicago Bears roughly 12 months ago, he confidently remarked that he had been "told" he was the team's starter. That proved to be true for a couple of weeks until he went down with a knee injury and then ultimately lost the job to 2021 rookie Justin Fields. 

Dalton recently put pen to paper on a one-year contract with a New Orleans Saints. New Orleans is on track to have Jameis Winston as its QB1 for a second consecutive season, though he is still recovering from the torn ACL and damage to his MCL he suffered back on Halloween. The Saints may need Dalton under center come September, but the 34-year-old left no doubt when speaking with reporters Thursday he understands his role with his new employer.

"This is Jameis' thing," Dalton explained, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "I’m here to help him out in any way that I can. I’m excited to work with him, be in the same room, and see everything I can do to help him out to make him the best player he can be." 

The Saints intend to use Swiss Army knife option Taysom Hill mostly as a tight end this fall and saw former backup quarterback Trevor Siemian leave in free agency to sign with the Bears. Dalton, meanwhile, appeared in eight games with Chicago last season and completed 63.1% of his attempts for 1,515 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.