Saints HC Dennis Allen: Jameis Winston has 'made a lot of progress' in recovery

Things were going well for Jameis Winston during what was supposed to be his first full season serving as starting quarterback of the New Orleans Saints last fall. Across less than seven entire games, he completed 95 of 161 passes for 1,170 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions, but any momentum he accumulated disappeared when he was lost for the remainder of the campaign on Halloween after he suffered a torn ACL and damage to his MCL. 

Despite concerns about his availability for Week 1 this coming September, the Saints re-signed Winston on a two-year deal shortly after they learned they struck out in their pursuit of star signal-caller Deshaun Watson. New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen confidently said earlier this month that having Winston in the lineup for the opening weekend of the 2022 season was "certainly the plan" as of that time, and that was before the 28-year-old was spotted participating in on-field workouts during organized team activities this week. 

"I think he’s looked good," Allen said of Winston on Thursday, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "I think he’s made a lot of progress. We still got a ways to go to get him ready, but we like the progress he’s making. We like where he’s at and hopefully that will continue." 

The Saints presumably will have backup Andy Dalton up to speed and ready to go if Winston can't play in Week 1. Fans should not, however, hold their breaths waiting for future Hall of Famer Drew Brees to make a triumphant return to the club this summer.