Saints' Sean Payton won't name starter between Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill
We assume Teddy Bridgewater will replace Drew Brees as the New Orleans Saints quarterback, as long as Brees is recovering from thumb surgery.
That won’t be official until the Saints run their first offensive play on Sunday, because coach Sean Payton said he won’t announce a starter.
Football coaches find paranoia in the strangest places, and Payton is being secretive about his starting quarterback. He told New Orleans media that Bridgewater and Taysom Hill will be ready to play, but he won’t announce a starter.
[Watch live NFL games on the Yahoo Sports app, here's how]
Payton even teased the media by chiding a question that assumed Hill would be the backup.
I asked Sean Payton about if he has to limit Taysom Hill's usage in other positions now that he's the No. 2 QB. His response: "You're assuming he's the No. 2."
— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) September 18, 2019
Sure, why not.
Saints will likely use both quarterbacks
The Saints will likely use both quarterbacks when Brees is out. Payton would occasionally take Brees, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, off the field to run gadget plays with Hill so it’s a good bet Payton will do the same with Brees out.
Bridgewater will likely get most of the work but he will have some things to prove. Bridgewater didn’t lead the Saints to a touchdown in last week’s loss to the Rams, after Brees went out. Bridgewater is the highest paid backup quarterback in the league and that indicates the Saints have a lot of faith in him. But since his devastating knee injury he hasn’t played much, and hasn’t played that well in his limited action.
If Bridgewater can’t move the offense, New Orleans might get creative with Hill more than they planned on.
Drew Brees has been durable
Brees has missed only one game in his Saints career due to injury, so this is unfamiliar ground for the franchise.
The Saints traded a third-round pick for Bridgewater and a sixth-round pick last year, which is significant. They made him a $7.25 million offer when he was a free agent this past offseason, and that’s significant too. It would be a shock if Hill gets any more than a handful of wildcat plays as a run-first quarterback.
But, just for the weird notion that it gives the Seattle Seahawks some problems on Sunday, Payton won’t say who will start. Maybe he’ll surprise us all.
– – – – – – –
Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
More from Yahoo Sports:
