Jameis Winston Placed on Saints' COVID List; Taysom Hill to Back Up Drew Brees

The New Orleans Saints will play without backup quarterback Jameis Winston, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Sunday's Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Taysom Hill, who was expected to slot back into his multifaceted offensive role this week with starter Drew Brees returning from rib and lung injuries, will now serve as the chief backup. He'd started the last four games at QB while Brees was sidelined.

Winston joined the Saints on a one-year deal with a $1.1 million base salary.

Drafted No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015, Winston has had a roller-coaster start to his career. The 26-year-old has thrown for more than 4,000 yards three times, including a league-leading 5,109 yards in 2019.

Inconsistent play and turnover problems have prevented Winston from taking off thus far. He led the NFL with 30 interceptions last year, tied for seventh-most in a season in league history.

The Saints are still in a good spot at the quarterback position with Brees back entrenched as the starter and Hill showing promise after taking over the offense for a month.