When Saints starting quarterback Derek Carr suffered a shoulder injury Sunday in Green Bay, Jameis Winston took over.
Some wondered why and how Winston accomplished this, considering the Saints changed Taysom Hill’s designation from tight end to quarterback just before the start of the regular season. The idea created by the Saints was that Carr would be QB1, Hill would be QB2, and Winston would be the third emergency quarterback.
This has led some to believe that the Saints violated the emergency quarterback rule by using Winston after Carr was injured but Hill was still available.
The truth is far less shameful. The Saints did not use the emergency quarterback rule. Instead, they assigned Carr, Hill and Winston spots on the active gameday roster. This meant Winston could play at any time, regardless of whether Carr or Hill was playing.
If Carr’s shoulder injury keeps him from playing against the Buccaneers this weekend, it will be interesting to see whether newly signed backup Jake Luton will be on the active roster or if he will receive the emergency quarterback distinction.
If this happens, the emergency quarterback will appear on the inactive list but will be noted as an emergency quarterback. Again, the Saints had not used this device in any of their first three games. Carr, Hill and Winston could play any position at any time.