Report: Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian Placed on Saints' COVID List; Ian Book to Start
December 23, 2021
Rookie quarterback Ian Book is set to make his first career start for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Book will lead the Saints offense against the Miami Dolphins with Taysom Hill going on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Trevor Siemian will also be going on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Siemian started the Saints' first four games after Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 7 against the Seattle Seahawks.
A seven-year NFL veteran, Siemian threw for 924 yards and eight touchdowns in his starts. The Saints went winless in those games, with the offense averaging 20.3 points per contest during that stretch.
Hill replaced Siemian as the starter in Week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys. After a rough first outing with four interceptions, Hill has settled in nicely over the past two games. The 31-year-old threw for 329 yards and ran for 106 yards with two rushing touchdowns in wins over the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Book was the Saints' fourth-round draft pick (No. 133 overall) in April. He spent the previous three years as the starter at Notre Dame. The 23-year-old went 9-of-16 for 126 yards and one interception in one appearance during the preseason.
The California native led the Fighting Irish to two appearances in the College Football Playoff in 2018 and 2020. He threw for 8,948 yards and 72 touchdowns in 45 college games.
New Orleans enters Week 16 tied with the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles in the race for the final wild-card spot in the NFC.
The Saints will host the Dolphins on Monday Night Football this week. They will wrap up the regular season with divisional games against the Carolina Panthers (Jan. 2) and Atlanta Falcons (Jan. 9).