Saints Not Considering Benching Jameis Winston for Andy Dalton, HC Dennis Allen Says

The New Orleans Saints are off to a disappointing 1-2 start and scored just 14 points in Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers after managing 10 in a Week 2 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but head coach Dennis Allen told reporters he doesn't plan on benching quarterback Jameis Winston for Andy Dalton.

"I think everybody, when you get in these situations, is kind of looking for a place to place blame," Allen said. "There's enough mistakes to go around, I don't really want to go there. I feel confident with Jameis. Certainly, we all need to do better and that's what we're going to do."

It should be noted that Winston is playing at less than 100 percent.

According to the Fox broadcast of Sunday's game (h/t Katherine Terrell of ESPN), the Florida State product is playing with a "transverse fracture" in his back. He said it is causing pain when he applies weight to his back foot, which surely impacts his ability to plant and fire downfield.

He went 25-of-41 for 353 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against the Panthers and now has four touchdown passes to five picks through three games.

It has certainly been less than ideal for Winston, who returned to the Saints on a two-year deal this offseason after going 5-2 as a starter in 2021 prior to tearing his ACL. Winston's return combined with the return of a healthy Michael Thomas created reason for optimism in New Orleans, but some of that has faded after the slow start.

Thomas left Sunday's contest, and his potential absence could put more pressure on rookie wide receiver Chris Olave as the Saints look to rediscover their form.

While Allen made it clear rediscovering that form won't come by benching Winston, the team could do much worse than Dalton in terms of a backup quarterback. The former Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller is a three-time Pro Bowler and 77-69-2 in his career as a starter.

The 34-year-old is likely past his prime and had eight touchdown passes to nine interceptions in eight games for the Chicago Bears last season, so the Saints likely wouldn't be getting the version of Dalton who led the Bengals to the playoffs multiple times if they made the switch.