Jameis Winston Tosses Touchdown Pass In Preseason Finale Against Houston Texans

The performance capped off a strong preseason for Winston with the New Orleans Saints.

Though he won't enter the 2023 season as a starting quarterback, former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston hasn't let the change on the depth chart affect his preparation. Winston has continued to put his best foot forward with the New Orleans Saints while holding a key leadership role on the team.

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That level of effort and focus has led to Winston having consistent success during his three preseason appearances with the Saints. He opened up as the starting quarterback for the second consecutive game during a Sunday night contest against the Houston Texans.

Winston only suited up for four drives but he made the most of his opportunity. He completed 11/16 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown pass with zero turnovers. Winston led the Saints to their only touchdown drive of the night with a three-yard scoring pass to tight end Jimmy Graham in the end zone. The two had connected on a 25-yard pass just a couple of plays earlier.

I’m starting Jameis Winston over Derek Carr pic.twitter.com/Fm32iNGjt8

— 💫 (@NewMediaSports_) August 28, 2023

The performance capped off what has been a strong preseason for Winston as he continues to become more efficient and lessen his turnovers later in his career. Winston appeared in all three of New Orleans' preseason games, with two starts, and completed 35/47 passes (74.4%) for 354 yards with two passing touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The 29-year-old took a massive pay cut to remain with the Saints on a one-year/$4 million deal. Winston will be waiting in the wings if Derek Carr suffers an injury or struggles. He's completed 175/287 passes for 2,103 yards with 18 touchdowns to eight interceptions during his three years with New Orleans. Winston spent his first season backing up Drew Brees but has also dealt with a variety of injuries, including a torn ACL in 2021.

Winston played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first five years of his career after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He's thrown the most touchdown passes in Tampa Bay franchise history with 121. Winston holds two of the top-five passing seasons for the Buccaneers as well.

The former five-star recruit spent three years in Tallahassee, leading Florida State to the 2013 National Championship and a 26-1 record as a starter. Winston became the youngest player to ever win the Heisman Trophy while racking up a plethora of accolades in the process. 

Winston completed 562/851 passes for 7,964 yards with 65 touchdowns to 28 interceptions at Florida State. He also rushed for 284 yards and seven more scores on the ground.

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