Head coach Dennis Allen announced on Wednesday that the Saints are going to stick with Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback over a healthy Jameis Winston.
Running back Alvin Kamara had some positive things to say on Wednesday about Dalton and the way he’s performed in New Orleans’ offense so far in 2022.
“I feel like he never panics when he’s going through his reads,” Kamara said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN. “It seems like he gets to the right place at the right time. Minus some of the things we were doing that were self-inflicted, he’s played well. I think it’s going to be good moving forward.
“Obviously I know he’s probably the hardest on himself about last week, those two interceptions [that were returned for touchdowns]. He’s fighting way harder than anybody — coaches and all of us — to get that corrected. He’s a competitor. Same thing I was talking about with Jameis. Both of them compete.”
The Saints have gone 1-3 in Dalton’s four starts this season. He took over in Week Four when Winston was unable to play due to injury. Dalton’s completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 946 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
“Andy’s been rolling. Obviously, it sucks Jameis has been injured, out, trying to get back,” Kamara said. “Andy, I feel like he’s been playing well, giving us a little bit of stability — not that Jameis wasn’t, but I don’t get paid to make those decisions. Upstairs, I guess they felt like going with Andy would be the best for right now.
“I know Jameis, and I know he’s going to keep working and getting better. Just because he’s not starting, it don’t mean he’s not going to prepare like he’s the starter. The next time his number’s called, I know he’s going to be able to execute.”
After Winston’s strong start to last season before tearing his ACL, the quarterback’s struggles with turnovers reappeared in the first three games of 2022. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 858 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in the first three games of the season. He also fumbled three times, but none were lost.
