New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston and wide receiver Marquez Callaway had a practice tradition last year.
Every day as the stretch portion of practice concluded, the two would get up from their respective spots, run toward each other and quickly hug. Their tradition started in New Orleans, continued during the team’s month-long stint in Texas and lasted until Winston went down for the season on Halloween.
During the third session of the team’s voluntary practices Thursday, it was back on.
The bulky brace on Winston’s knee certainly showed how much things had changed as he and Callaway ran toward each other, but the smiles were the same.
They’re back pic.twitter.com/pNxd5sNqrg
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) May 26, 2022
There has not been much time for traditions lately. Winston has feverishly worked to get back on the field since he went down awkwardly on his left knee all those months ago, and updates about his progress have mostly been limited to select videos put out by his camp. Winston has been confident about his progress in the few interviews he has done, firmly suggesting that he would be back on the field “well before training camp” in an interview two months ago.
Winston hit that goal and then some this week.
“With the way that he works and how hard he works, it doesn’t surprise me,” head coach Dennis Allen said. “I think we’ve got to continue to be smart with that, which I think we are. We’re going to continue to push to get him better and yet be smart about it.”
It was hard to know what he would be able to do without seeing it in action, and it would have made sense if he didn’t go. Veterans often skip OTAs for a number of reasons, and that was the case with many of the Saints during Thursday’s open session. Some were working back from injury and some didn’t have a publicly disclosed reason.
Among those not seen on the practice field Thursday were defensive end Marcus Davenport, linebacker Demario Davis, cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson, safety P.J. Williams, wide receivers Deonte Harty and Jarvis Landry, quarterback Taysom Hill, running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, offensive linemen James Hurst, Landon Young and Andrus Peat. Safety Marcus Maye, center Erik McCoy and defensive Payton Turner were at practice but limited to watching or rehab work.
“I’ve had communication with everybody on our team, so I’m well aware of who is and isn’t here,” Allen said. “Certainly it’s a voluntary program, and look, would I like everybody to be here? Yeah, I’d like everybody to be here. But everybody has their reason why and I’m comfortable with where we’re at.”
The most scrutinized missing person was wide receiver Michael Thomas, who didn’t play last season while rehabbing from ankle surgery. Thomas wasn’t at practice, but Allen and Winston both confirmed that he had been at the facility working on his rehab.
“I think he’s doing well in his rehab. He’s not ready yet. But he’s here, he’s rehabbing,” Allen said.
Allen wouldn’t give a timetable except to confirm that the hope would be training camp or before.
“That’s certainly our plan. If I had a crystal ball and could tell you these things, I’d probably be making a lot more money,” Allen said.
Gratitude was probably the word of the day for Jameis Winston, who has been eager to get back out on the field less than seven months removed from his knee injury. pic.twitter.com/0JROyzwQrf
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) May 26, 2022
It was important for Winston to be there for many reasons. One was to take ownership of his starting position, which he wasn’t able to do last year when he entered camp in a competition with Hill. The other part, he noted, was the “gratitude” for being able to get back out there.
“That’s the beautiful thing about football,” he said. “Every part matters. The rehab matters. The progress of getting back to full speed, it matters. The reps with the young guys, the reps with anybody I can possibly get to, it matters.”
The most visible sign of Winston’s recovery was the brace and a limp that seemed more prominent when walking versus running. He didn’t attempt many deep passes, but rookie Chris Olave noted his arm has more than enough zip, laughing when he mentioned a deep pass earlier in the week that hit him in the hands so hard he couldn’t catch it.
Winston took part in almost every part of practice, although there were certain limitations. He completed a few passes to Olave, who Winston called “as smooth as the other side of the pillow.” Winston worked through individual drills, 7-on-7 and some of a short set of 11-on-11 drills at the end of practice, although veteran Andy Dalton appeared to take over for the majority of the reps at that point.
Winston was allowed to drop back as normal, but not roll out of the pocket. Tucking the ball and running in team drills isn’t going to happen for a while since Winston said he just progressed to running “on the books” last week.
“The biggest thing about my specific injury was the meniscus,” he said. “It wasn’t the ACL and MCL. The MCL actually healed on its own before surgery and the ACL, Dr. Neal ElAttrache did a phenomenal job. … It was a pretty simple procedure. But the meniscus repair has been the biggest limiter for me right now, in terms of moving, rolling out, in terms of certain movements that I’m not able to do just because of the timetable of the recovery. But my ACL is very stable, my MCL is very stable. Right now I’m building around and fighting with the meniscus.”
The brace is mandatory right now, but Winston said he’d continue wearing it during the season because it doesn’t limit his movements at all. Winston said instead of hurting his running, he thinks the brace makes him emphasize driving up his knees more.
“I’m commanding the brace now,” he said with a smile.
Winston said the idea is to take everything slow and “embrace the process,” in terms of getting back to 100 percent, which is something he said he and Thomas have in common.
“That’s something me and him kind of see eye to eye right now. We’re embracing the process, and we have time,” he said. “The season isn’t next week, so cherishing these opportunities to get to grow with each other mentally, and just being around. I was so excited to see that Mike was in the building and being around with the team and being the leader that he is.”
(Photo of Jameis Winston: Brett Davis / Fan Controlled Football / Getty Images)
