It looks as if Jameis Winston has crossed another hurdle in his recovery from a torn ACL he suffered last season. The New Orleans Saints quarterback recently posted a video to his social media channels that showed him throwing without a brace on his surgically repaired left knee.
Winston had previously been spotted wearing a brace on that knee throughout New Orleans’ organized team activities and minicamp earlier this offseason. The 28-year-old tore his ACL and suffered damage to his MCL in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That injury forced him to undergo season-ending surgery.
Just eight months removed from that injury, however, Winston does seem to be making the proper strides to be New Orleans’ starter to begin the year.
Prior to going down with this injury, Winston had been playing well. The Saints were 5-2 in his seven starts, and the signal-caller sported a 102.8 passer rating (which would have been a career best for a full season), and threw for 14 touchdowns with just three interceptions. While New Orleans did flirt with a possible Deshaun Watson blockbuster this offseason, the Saints did go back to Winston and re-signed him to a two-year, $28 million extension in late March. That financial commitment was also a telling indicator that the team was optimistic about where Winston was in his recovery.
Winston also told the NFL Network in May that he expects to be ready to go when the Saints open up the 2022 regular season against the Falcons in September.
“We’re taking this process slowly,” Winston said, via NFL.com. “It’s about getting better every day. I’m embracing it, and I’m excited to be able to talk football and just keep progressing.”
The next marker for Winston will be participating in training camp, which will open up for New Orleans on July 26.
