Saints pick QB Trevor Siemian to replace injured Jameis Winston

With star Jameis Winston out for the long term, the Saints have seemingly made a choice about who will replace him.

The Saints choose Trevor Siemian

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton announced that the team will go with Trevor Siemian instead of Taysom Hill as they try to fill the QB position ahead of Sunday's date with the Atlanta Falcons. The need to do so of course, comes after starter Jameis Winston was sidelined indefinitely with an ACL tear. Payton went on to add that Hill will play a role as the quarterback has just returned from a concussion.

Who is Trevor Siemian?

Though not a household name, Siemian is in fact a Super Bowl winner having clinched the title in 2016 during his time with the Denver Broncos. The QB has not started frequently since that same season when he went 13-11 with the Broncos. Siemian would later go on to play for the New York Jets where he did in fact start one game before suffering a season ending ankle injury in 2019.

Most recently he gave a very credible performance in last week's big win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the Saints came out on top 36-27 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Having entered the game in the second quarter with the score tied 7-, the 29 year old completed 16 of 29 passes for 159 yards and one touchdown with zero turnovers.

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Speaking on the decision coach Payton didn't deny the relevance of their last game, "A lot of it's based on, I felt like Trevor played well last week," he explained on Friday. "Taysom was coming out [of the concussion protocol] just at that same time. We'll see each week. We've got a good plan, we feel like, this week, relative to this game, and we'll kind of go from there." Regarding Hill, the QB was absent for the last three weeks having suffered the concussion in week 5's game. While he was only able to participated in a limited capacity during this week's practice it is clear that he will have a central role going forward for the Saints.

The Saints' defense is their offense

Despite the recent speculation around the QB position, one thing remains unchanged, the Saints who are currently off to a great start with a record of 5-2, will undoubtedly continue to rely on their impressive defense, running game and offensive line. For his part Siemian was reserved about the expectation surrounding his first start in over two years.

"I've had a lot of confidence in myself to play. I didn't know if it was gonna happen or when it was gonna happen, but I knew I'd be ready. And here we are," Siemian said on Friday. "So I expect to play well, just like everyone else on this team. That's my mindset. It's not really new to me, it's not that foreign. I mean, it's been a while, for sure. But I've been playing all along as if I'm gonna get another chance."

Siemian has the backing of the Saints

Coach Payton and various Saints players were happy to endorse their QB's ability and more over his calm personality. Payton compared him to former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer as he spoke of Siemian's manner. "I noticed during camp, Trevor's just cool. He's super chill. He's just got, like, a calming presence," Saints running back Alvin Kamara also had his say. "That's how he was when he got in the huddle on Sunday. You would have thought he knew he was playing the whole time. I like him - he's got a good demeanor."

Another player to weigh in was receiver Tre'Quan Smith. "Oh, man, you can definitely tell he's experienced. Honestly, he came in the game and shocked me. He looked very comfortable in the pocket, he stood in the pocket, he took some hits and still delivered the ball. That just amazed me. He definitely looked like he was ready to play, like, no hiccups. He was definitely ready to play."

While one could be forgiven for considering him a new kid on the block, Siemian is actually quite experienced. Having won the Super Bowl with the Broncos in the 2015/16 season he went on to start for the Broncos in the following season. To date Siemian has completed 514 of 870 passes (59.1%) in his career for 5,848 yards with 31 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.