The book is out for the Saints quarterback room, and the Book is in on Monday night.
The Saints are trapped in something of a QB purgatory right now, and are turning to their fourth quarterback of the 2021 season for "Monday Night Football" — Ian Book is set to make his NFL debut in New Orleans.
MORE: Saints QB depth chart — New Orleans signs backup behind Book
Book, the 2021 fourth-round draft pick, is making the first start of his career, and more than that, he's getting the first snaps of his career vs. the surging Dolphins after a somewhat distinguished college career.
Here's what you need to know about the first-year passer hoping to keep the Saints' playoff hopes alive:
Who is Ian Book?
Maybe Ian Book landing with the Saints is something of a sign from above: The rookie quarterback was a four-year starter at the University of Notre Dame before he was selected by New Orleans in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Book was a three-year starter for the Fighting Irish, spending five years with the school overall, redshirting as a freshman. In total, he played in 45 games, throwing for 8,948 yards, 72 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
Despite his modest success in college, Book's fourth-round selection was something of a surprise: Scouts and analysts alike figured that Book would be a late-round selection, so going in the fourth raised some eyebrows — especially to a team that seemed to have its QB situation figured out ahead of 2021.
The rookie isn't exactly the most physically gifted quarterback to play in the NFL. He doesn't have the strongest arm, has trouble processing the field and isn't the most accurate passer. He does have a bit of mobility, though, and that should play well within a similar role as Taysom Hill's in Sean Payton's offense.
Book is the fourth quarterback to start for New Orleans in 2021. Jameis Winston, QB1, is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury. Trevor Siemian took the reins of the offense, but was benched in favor of Hill after diminishing returns and Hill's health bettering.
With Hill and Siemian on the COVID-19 list for Monday's game, the Saints were forced to turn to book. The team recently signed journeyman backup quarterback Blake Bortles to fill out the room.
