New Orleans Saints Coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that quarterback Jameis Winston continues to rehab his injuries and Winston looks to return to the lineup.
Winston missed Sunday's 28-25 loss to Minnesota in London due to back and ankle injuries. He didn't practice Wednesday. Andy Dalton, who started against the Vikings and completed 20 of 28 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions and a lost fumble, took the first-team snaps in practice, as he has since last Wednesday.
"The only update is he's still rehabbing and right now, the plan is, I want to get him healthy," Allen said of Winston. "We'll see where he's at. He's getting better. We're just trying to get him healthy."
THOMAS, TOO: Receiver Michael Thomas, who also missed the Minnesota game, likewise continues to rehab the toe injury that has him sidelined.
"He's got to continue to rehab and work to get himself back out here," Allen said. "That's the nature of what we do, sometimes you have injuries and you've got to work to rehab. He's out right now and hopefully he's going to get well and we'll be able to get him back."
BOUNCE BACK: Allen said he expects Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore to rebound from an atypical Lattimore performance against the Vikings. Lattimore surrendered several catches to Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, who finished with 10 catches for 147 yards and a rushing touchdown.
"I would expect him to respond the way he typically has. Come back to work," Allen said. "The things that we ask him to do, and the nature of the position that he plays, he's on an island a lot. Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. But I expect him to respond the way that he always has and go out there and compete and challenge every single snap. We're going to put him in some tough spots and he knows that and he rises to that challenge."
INCREASED EMPHASIS: Weekly, the Saints incorporate turnover drills in practice. This week, even more so.
"We've turned it over too many times and we haven't taken it away enough," Allen said. "It was a big point of emphasis today, it'll be a point of emphasis tomorrow, we'll keep making it a point of emphasis as we go throughout the season.
"We spent a lot more time today working on it. It's a process, we've got to get better at it, everybody's got to understand the importance of it. The issue really has been that it hasn't just been in one spot, it's been different people in different spots. We'll continue to work on it and we'll get better at it."
HARRIS ADDITION: Familiarity played a role in the Saints adding cornerback Chris Harris to the practice squad. Harris, a three-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, played for Allen when Allen was defensive coordinator for the Broncos in 2011.
"Chris is a guy that I had as a rookie in Denver. I've known Chris for a long time," Allen said. "He's a guy that we kind of had our eye on. We were talking to him for a little bit about potentially coming and joining the practice squad here. Once we came back from London he was kind of ready to go, so we're getting him acclimated and getting him up to speed. Hopefully we'll have him ready sooner rather than later.
"He brings a lot of experience. He's really smart, highly, highly competitive. He's been a good player in this league for a long time."
