Saints could name backup QB in July

By so far, the New Orleans Saints have not made any decision of the backup for starting quarterback Drew Brees. They want a veteran, experienced and humble quarterback for the role. Although they have a few options on their own roster, the team is still looking outside for more options.


However, as last season’s Super Bowl champion, the Saints are restricted by the NFL’s “final eight” rule for the uncapped year. So they will have to wait until July 22 before they can take actions with unrestricted free agents from other teams unless they allow another team to sign away one of their own restricted free agents. So at the moment, the backup role would be played by one of the three on-roster quarterbacks: second-year player Chase Daniel, rookie Sean Canfield and unrestricted free agent Mark Brunell. According to reports, the Saints are aiming at unrestricted free agents Josh McCown and Patrick Ramsey to sign when the signing restriction ends on July 22.

While Brunell is still negotiating for a new contract with the Saints and could take off his Saints jersey to sign with another team, second-year player Daniel is currently the top choice for the backup job and will get a lot of snaps in OTAS and minicamps. If he performs well and impresses the coaches enough before any stronger competitor comes in, he could be the new backup for Brees.