Tom Savage will be Drew Brees’ backup with Saints
By John Buhler
We know now who will be backing up Drew Brees at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. Former Houston Texans signal caller Tom Savage is coming aboard.
Four years after being drafted by the Houston Texans out of Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, quarterback Tom Savage is joining most of his draft class and is switching teams. Savage will be joining the New Orleans Saints to back up Drew Brees in 2018. His agency Schwartz and Feinsod was the first to break the news of his signing with the Saints. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed the signing.
By going to the Saints, that ensures us that Savage will not be a starting quarterback in 2018. However depending on the length of this deal, he could be in line to replace Brees one day for all we know. That being said, Saints head coach Sean Payton is very high on former BYU quarterback and special teams contributor Taysom Hill. He could be something, and so could Savage in Saints uniform.
To date, Savage has made nine NFL starts, but he’s 2-7 leading the Texans. He was able to get on the field the last two years in relief of a struggling Brock Osweiler in 2016 and an injured Deshaun Watson in 2017. With Watson briefly shining before tearing his ACL, there was no chance Savage was going to see the field in Houston barring another Watson injury. It was time for him to move on.
Savage will again be playing in a dome in a southern climate with his new team. Unlike in Houston, New Orleans is known for having a brilliant offensive-minded culture. This has almost everything to do with Brees, but isn’t a bad place for a backup signal caller to hold on to a clipboard. That will be Savage’s new role with the Saints.
Contract Details
Details of Savage’s contract have not been revealed. All we know is that he will not be returning to the Texans and will be joining the Saints in year five as a pro. Savage is 27 years old and has ample growth opportunities ahead of him. He could be in line to be Brees’ heir apparent for all we know. Given that the Saints are in win-now mode, it’s wise to have a backup quarterback that has spot started before.
National Reaction
Congrats to Tom Savage going to Saints. He’s a terrific guy who’ll learn a lot from Brees. Really enjoyed covering Savage last four years and wish him good luck. He’s a first-class guy.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) March 14, 2018
Grade
This move doesn’t make the Saints better. Yes, you will need a backup quarterback, but adding Savage won’t help the Saints win games should Brees succumb to injury. Savage struggled to complete passes in relief of Osweiler in 2016. The Texans struggled to win games with him at quarterback filling in for an injured Watson. Odds are, New Orleans overpaid for a middle of the road backup quarterback in Savage. It is security to some degree, but it’s hard to get excited about this move in any capacity.
Grade: C