Jameis Winston invades the place he’s called home for the past four years when the Browns play the Saints

NEW ORLEANS — Jameis Winston’s four-year stint in New Orleans was a story of unfulfilled promise.

On Sunday, he’ll have a chance to make Superdome spectators wonder if the Saints gave up on him too soon.

In his first season since leaving the Big Easy, Winston landed a midseason starting role with the Cleveland Browns (2-7), who visited the Saints (3-7) in a Week 11 matchup between teams that didn’t have done. a lot has gone well this year.

“I’m grateful for this moment,” Winston said. “Opportunities only come so often.”

Winston, who took over for the injured Deshaun Watson in Cleveland, was with New Orleans from 2020 to 2023.

Winston, a 2013 Heisman Trophy winner at Florida State and first overall selection in the 2015 NFL draft, was hoping to revive his career with the Saints after his first team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, let him go. favor of former Patriots great Tom Brady.

Although Winston’s time in New Orleans was marked by a serious knee injury and didn’t go the way he envisioned, he fondly reflects on his former Saints teammates and his life in the community — and says he’s “absolutely excited” to to play there again.

“The people of New Orleans, I really love them,” Winston said. “They really helped during that transitional period in my life. They filled it with joy.”

While Winston has been an erratic performer as a pro, the Saints know how effective he can be on his good days.

“He’s always capable of making big plays like that,” said Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi, who was on New Orleans’ staff during Winston’s tenure there.

“It will be great to see him,” Rizzi added. “It will definitely be a challenge to play against him.”

While Winston thrived in his first game as Cleveland’s starter in a win over struggling Baltimore, he suffered a turnover-marred loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in his second start in Week 9.

“I’m expecting some moonballs, you know? I know he’s going to make some shots,” Saints safety Tryann Mathieu said with a playful grin. “And honestly, we have to catch the ones he throws at us.”

Defensive drought

Denzel Ward hasn’t caught a break – or the ball.

Cleveland’s Pro Bowl cornerback may be having his best NFL season, but the seven-year veteran has yet to get his first interception despite leading the league with 15 passes defensed, including one in each game this season.

Potential picks have slipped through his hands or been knocked away by contact. Ward has been alone, as the Browns have had just one interception all season: by injured linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

The team-wide drought has been frustrating.

“Yes, we have to get them,” he said. “We just have to keep emphasizing on it. Yes, we know we don’t have one. I don’t have one yet, and man, I gotta go get one.”

Ward, who has 15 career interceptions, thinks once he makes that first pick, they will come in big numbers.

“Once we get that first one, they’ll come flooding in,” he said. It’s just hard to get that first one.”

The real McCoy

The Saints offense expects to get a huge boost up front this week. Center Erik McCoy will return from a groin injury that has sidelined him since the first half of New Orleans’ Week 3 loss to Philadelphia.

“Erik is a phenomenal player,” Rizzi said. “He might be one of the most underrated offensive linemen in the league, not just at center.”

Few sounded happier about McCoy’s impending return than Saints QB Derek Carr, who highlighted the veteran center’s ability to relay blocking assignments at the line of scrimmage.

“He can solve problems on the fly, things that no one will ever see, no one will ever know, deal with unexamined looks and then win his games,” Carr said. “It’s nice for a QB when he’s there, because you know exactly what you’re getting. He knows the calls to make and all those things to get everyone else on the same page and doing their job.”

Back to the Big Easy

Like almost every son of New Orleans, Brown safety Grant Delpit grew up worshiping the Saints.

His grandfather had season tickets and Delpit, who played at LSU, attended countless games in the Superdome as a child.

“They already knew me when I ran around the stadium and the slopes,” he said. “A little kid who just wasn’t even focused on the game and was just running around the stadium. I definitely have some history and roots in that stadium.”

Delpit didn’t hesitate to name some of his childhood football heroes, ranging from Deuce McAllister to Joe Horn to Reggie Bush.

“He was my favorite Saints player,” Delpit said of Bush. “He was everyone’s favorite player.”

Delpit had to book a suite and purchase additional tickets to accommodate the large group of family members and friends expected to attend Sunday’s game. For this he is treated to his favorite homecoming meal.

“My grandma’s gumbo,” he said, the thought making him happy. “She knows what’s going on. She’s probably making it now.’

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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.