There’s no question that the New Orleans Saints will be looking for a quarterback in 2023. Andy Dalton hasn’t inspired anyone as a one-year rental after taking over for Jameis Winston, whose future with the team is in doubt. Winston has missed extensive time with injuries in each of his two years as the starter and he’s still on the bench. He’s also their only quarterback under contract for 2023, but the Saints can save $4 million by releasing him, and it certainly feels like that’s the way things are headed.
Jimmy Garoppolo gave them a firsthand look at an alternative in Sunday’s win, with the San Francisco 49ers quarterback completing a cool 70.3% of his passes without turning the ball over. And he often made plays under pressure. The Saints pass rush did its job and beat the 49ers blockers to hit and harry Garoppolo throughout the afternoon, and he made plays anyway. NFL Next Gen Stats tracking found that he was one of the most aggressive passers in Week 12, crediting him with his highest completion percentage above expectation (CPAE) score of the year at +4.6%. That metric factors in throws made under pressure and tight coverage by the defense, and it illustrates just how effective Garoppolo was on Sunday.
