The New Orleans Saints decided to add a third quarterback in the wake of Drew Brees's thumb injury, bringing back a familiar face to the quarterback room. New Orleans signed former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett to the practice squad Tuesday, reuniting him with the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent in May of 2018. 

Barrett spent plenty of time on the Saints' transaction list in his rookie year, being involved in 23 of them throughout 2018. He signed a reserve/futures deal this past January. He was waived by the Saints in August and signed with the Seattle Seahawks shortly after. Barrett threw just three pass attempts as the Seahawks' fourth quarterback before being released on 53-man roster cutdown day. 

In his time as Ohio State's starter, Barrett etched his name into the Ohio State and Big Ten record books, becoming the first three-time captain in the program's 125-plus year history, the Big Ten leader in total yardage (12,697), touchdown passes (104), and all purpose touchdowns (147). Among his Buckeyes records, Barrett boasts marks for most wins as a quarterback (38), passing yardage (9,434), and rushing yards by a quarterback (3,263).

The Saints will go with Teddy Bridgewater as the starting quarterback as Brees is expected to be out a minimum of six weeks to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. Taysom Hill will be the No. 2 quarterback while Barrett will be the practice squad quarterback.

"I thought he was ready to play. He's a pro, he knows how to win. He knows how to win in this league," said Saints head coach Sean Payton on Bridgewater's performance Sunday. "I didn't think we played particularly well around him. When we watch that tape tomorrow, it's not going to be pleasant for some guys."