Saints QB Winston: 'It hurts my soul' to not play

METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints backmost Jameis Winston said helium didn't deliberation helium would permanently suffer his starting occupation to Andy Dalton aft getting injured aboriginal successful the season.

But the occupation is Dalton's for astatine slightest different week aft Saints manager Dennis Allen announced Wednesday that helium wouldn't beryllium making a switch.

Dalton has been the starting backmost since the Saints' crippled against the Minnesota Vikings successful London connected Oct. 2. Allen hinted astatine the opening of this week that helium was considering a backmost alteration due to the fact that of violative struggles for the past 2 games, but helium yet decided against it.

Winston said helium was nether the content that helium would yet instrumentality arsenic the starter aft a speech with Allen successful London. Allen said astatine the clip that helium was resting Winston to let his backmost and ft injuries to heal, but helium decided Dalton would beryllium the starter a fewer weeks later, arsenic agelong arsenic the discourtesy continued to execute well.

"I mislaid my occupation owed to wounded and the argumentation has ever been you don't suffer your occupation owed to injury. And that's what happened," Winston said.

Winston, who injured his backmost successful Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, admitted that helium astir apt should not person played the pursuing week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but wanted to beryllium retired there. The Bucs not lone drafted him with the archetypal prime successful the 2015 NFL draft, but Winston was besides playing against them erstwhile helium tore an ACL past season.

Winston said that's not the lawsuit now, arsenic helium feels he's steadfast capable to play. Allen said it was improbable Winston would beryllium 100% this season, but Winston said he's been getting amended since he's not playing.

"I'm healing up. I haven't been playing. This is the champion healing I tin get," Winston said.

Winston said it has been a hard play for him, but he's trying to absorption connected being a person from the sidelines.

"What's going connected close present is what I've got to woody with close present and absorption connected close now. I'll grip what's going connected close now, and erstwhile that clip comes for maine to yet travel backmost connected the field, which hopefully it will, I'm going to enactment Andy, I'm going to enactment this offense, I'm going to enactment everyone connected this violative unit the champion I perchance can, and that's it," Winston said. "Because, similar I said, I deterioration that garment that says, 'Big team, small me,' adjacent though it hurts my heart. It hurts my psyche the mode things person turned retired to beryllium this year, but it is what it is."

He added: "I beryllium it to this squad to beryllium successful the relation that I'm close now, to this offense, to everyone. I apologize to the fans. I cognize immoderate of them privation to spot maine retired there. But I deliberation winning makes a batch of things better, truthful we request to spell retired determination and commencement with this week, get a triumph arsenic a team. No 1 idiosyncratic makes a squad win. We request to get a squad triumph and I deliberation we'll each beryllium amended astatine the extremity of the day."

Winston is 1 connected a agelong database of players who apt volition not beryllium playing against the Los Angeles Rams connected Sunday. Saints seasoned antiaircraft extremity Cameron Jordan, who has ne'er missed a crippled due to the fact that of wounded successful his 12-year vocation (he missed his archetypal crippled past twelvemonth against the New York Jets due to the fact that of the COVID-19 protocol), volition beryllium this crippled with an oculus injury.

Jordan said that helium played astir of past week's crippled against the Pittsburgh Steelers with 1 of his eyes astir swollen shut.

"Maaaan unreal. Smh power what you tin control," helium posted to his Twitter account connected Thursday. Jordan did not signifier each week aft the game.

The Saints besides volition not person antiaircraft extremity Marcus Davenport, information J.T. Gray, near tackle James Hurst, moving backmost Mark Ingram II, cornerback Marshon Lattimore and linebacker Pete Werner. Left defender Andrus Peat, who missed past week's game, is questionable.