Saints' Jameis Winston: Getting Benched After Injury 'Hurts My Heart...Hurts My Soul'

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston said losing the starting job to Andy Dalton following an injury that sidelined him earlier in the season has been difficult to handle, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell:

"What's going on right now is what I've got to deal with right now and focus on right now. I'll handle what's going on right now and when that time comes for me to eventually come back on the field, which hopefully it will, I'm going to support Andy, I'm going to support this offense, I'm going to support everyone on this offensive staff the best I possibly can, and that's it. Because, like I said, I wear that shirt that says 'Big team, little me,' even though it hurts my heart. It hurts my soul, the way things have turned out to be this year, but it is what it is."

Winston started the first three games of the 2022 season for the Saints before being replaced by Dalton. He reportedly suffered four fractures in his back in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons and had been playing in pain since.

However, Winston said that since he hasn't been playing, he's "healing up" and feels healthy enough to take the field, per Terrell.

Head coach Dennis Allen told reporters earlier this week that he doesn't think the veteran signal-caller will return to 100 percent this season, which could be part of the reason why Dalton continues to start.

Winston completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 858 yards and four touchdowns against five interceptions as the Saints went 1-2 with him under center.

Dalton hasn't been much better.

The Red Rifle has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,559 yards and 11 touchdowns against seven interceptions in seven games, and the Saints have gone 2-5 in that span.

Winston said he thought he would return as the team's starter this season after talking with Allen in London last month as the Saints prepared to take on the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It's still possible that Winston could start for New Orleans again this season. Per Terrell, Allen suggested he was thinking about a change under center earlier this week before deciding to stick with Dalton. The 35-year-old veteran will be a free agent in 2023.

The Saints are fourth in the NFC South with a 3-7 record. Considering they are far from contending for a playoff spot, it wouldn't be unrealistic for them to turn back to the 28-year-old Winston.

New Orleans signed Winston to a two-year deal ahead of the 2022 season, so even if he doesn't see any game action for the remainder of the year, he'll be back in 2023.