Saints Rumors: Jameis Winston Progressing in Knee Injury Rehab Ahead of Camp

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston has reportedly taken the next step in his progression from an ACL tear.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Winston has begun planting and throwing off play-action passes, and the current plan is for him to be ready for the start of training camp.

Winston suffered a torn ACL during a Week 8 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he's ready for the beginning of training camp, that would have Winston fully recovered in almost nine months, which is right around the early end of a typical timeframe.

It's likely the Saints will be more comfortable putting Winston into early practices because quarterbacks rarely take any level of contact in practice as is. The number of QBs who have suffered major injuries during training camp are few and far between. It's possible, if not likely, that New Orleans still holds Winston out of early preseason game action while he gets acclimated.

The Saints signed Winston to a two-year, $28 million contract in March after losing out on the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. The structure of the deal allows the team to move on from the 28-year-old after the 2022 season without much harm, saving around $4.4 million on the salary cap.

If Winston is able to return and perform at the level he was last season (14 touchdowns, three interceptions, 102.8 passer rating), he'll be one of the sport's biggest bargains under center. That said, if there's a drop-off in performance—and Winston is already one of the high-variance quarterbacks in the NFL—the Saints may find themselves trying to lure big fish again next offseason.