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New Orleans Saints Are ‘Big Fans’ of QB Not Named Tyler Shough
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- New Orleans Saints Are ‘Big Fans’ of QB Not Named Tyler Shough
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
For months, it appeared that the New Orleans Saints would run it back with Derek Carr as their starting quarterback in 2025. Yet, once reports of Carr's shoulder injury surfaced shortly before the 2025 NFL Draft kicked off, the Saints became arguably the most QB-desperate team in the league.
While many thought the Saints would be the team that fell in love with Shedeur Sanders in the first or even second round, New Orleans had other plans. Yet, when the Saints instead selected Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick in the second round, many believed the Bayou had a new starting quarterback.
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While Shough is competing for the Saints' starting QB job, he's doing so with two other candidates, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener . Now it sounds like there's a chance Shough may not win the job after all.
According to ESPN's NFL expert Dan Graziano , there are several people inside the Saints' building who are "big fans" of Rattler.
"On the surface, the numbers indicate Rattler and Haener should be pretty easy for the 40th pick to beat out. But multiple league executives insist there are people in the Saints' building who are big fans of Rattler and believe he could develop into a good starter if given the chance and the right coaching. And Haener is a guy they liked enough to draft in Round 4 but hasn't had a real chance to show what he can do yet. The important data points are all still to come, as this competition is just beginning."
For the record, Graziano still predicted Shough to win the Saints' starting QB job, but it's clear that this won't be a one-man race. While the Saints invested a fifth-round pick in Rattler in 2024 and a fourth-round pick in Haener in 2023, first-year coach Kellen Moore's arrival gives everyone a shot at a fresh start.
Related: Jon Gruden Working Hard at NFL Comeback: 5 Teams Who Could Hire Him
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