The New Orleans Saints are making a quarterback change, benching Spencer Rattler in favour of rookie QB Tyler Shough for their upcoming game vs. the Rams.
Coach Kellen Moore informed Rattler of the decision following a rough showing vs. the Buccaneers this past weekend. The former Oklahoma Sooners’ QB had won the positional battle over Shough in training camp, but has struggled in his last two outings combining for 6 turnovers, and 7 sacks over his last 6 quarters of play.
For the year Rattler has thrown for 1,586 yards, and 8 TDs, but has also thrown 5 INTs and fumbled another 4 times in his 8 starts in 2025.
New Orleans has little to play for other than draft pick positioning for the 2nd half of the season. Currently sitting 1-7 on the year, if the season were to end today the team would select 1st overall in 2026. With the potential to select a franchise altering QB atop the draft, the Saints may as well give Shough an extended look the rest of the way.
If he proves capable, New Orleans could pivot and select an impact player at another position of need next spring. If the speed of the NFL game proves too much for the former Louisville product, then GM Mickey Loomis would have every option on the table with next year’s top pick.
It’s been largely a revolving door at the quarterback position for New Orleans since Drew Brees retired in 2021. The team has since cycled through: Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian, Ian Book, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and now Shough over the last 4 years.
While there’s nothing to lose by taking a look at Shough this coming week, it’s worth noting that Los Angeles could prove to be a bit of a baptism by fire for the 26 year old. The Rams are currently 2nd in the NFL with 26 sacks on the year, and are giving up the 3rd fewest points per contest across the league at 16.7 per game.
Had the team taken a more patient approach, they could have given Shough his first start against the Carolina Panthers, or even named him their starter during their Week 11 BYE, to give him additional time to prep. However, coming out of college late, Shough was already the oldest rookie in the 2025 NFL draft, so perhaps management will be giving him a shorter learning curve than most QBs given his advanced age and draft capital used to select him (2nd round, 40th overall).
In any case, the 6’5″ signal caller will get his first taste of life as a starter heading into a tough road matchup against a talented Rams front 7.
Photo: Glimmergloss. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.