Kellen Moore won’t need to wait too long before he needs to make his first crucial decision as the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints. As things stand right now, the Saints are one of a handful of teams around the NFL who don’t know who their Week 1 starting quarterback will be.
Ultimately, it’s expected that Kellen Moore’s choice will either be rookie 2nd round pick Tyler Shough, or Spencer Rattler, a 2024 5th round selection who started six games for the Saints last season. Despite his 0-6 record during his rookie season, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes it’s Rattler who will end up winning the job.
“Keep in mind that Rattler has more playing experience than Shough going back to their college years,” Moton wrote July 11. “On the collegiate level, Rattler started for a year-and-a-half at Oklahoma and then started two full terms at South Carolina. Due to injuries, Shough only started one full collegiate campaign at Louisville.”
Moton went on to note that because Rattler has a whole lot more football under his belt than Shough does, it makes sense that despite a winless rookie season, he could get the first crack at being named New Orleans’ starting quarterback to start the 2025 season, even with the Saints investing more in the former Louisville standout.
Spencer Rattler’s 2024 Season Flashed Glimpses of Optimism
Although Rattler couldn’t lead the Saints to a victory in his six starts last season, there were at the very least times when the former five-star recruit looked like a player with that sort pedigree. No, his raw numbers — 1,317 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 146 rushing yards — aren’t turning any heads, but a subpar supporting cast and an interim coaching staff didn’t do him any favors.
If you’re trying to be a Spencer Rattler optimist, the game you’d point to is New Orleans’ Week 15 matchup against the Washington Commanders. Rattler came in for relief of Jake Haener in the 2nd half, and threw for 135 yards and a touchdown, nearly leading the Saints to a come-from-behind win against a team that was a little over a month away from playing in the NFC Championship Game.
Could a Darkhorse Emerge in Saints QB Competition?
The two names behind Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough on the Saints depth chart would likely prompt fans in New Orleans to unironically question Who Dat? Jake Haener, a 2023 4th round selection of the Saints, had a cup of coffee as New Orleans’ starter last year. In a handful of appearances, the second-year QB threw for 226 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
The only other quarterback on the Saints depth chart is Hunter Dekkers, a former Iowa State starter who stepped away from the team in August 2023 after being caught up in a gambling scandal in which four Cyclones players were found to have been placing bets on games, including Iowa State sporting events.
After sitting out the 2023 season, Dekkers returned to the field for the Iowa Western Reivers, a junior college program in Council Bluffs. Dekkers threw for 3,806 yards, 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while leading the Reivers to an 11-2 record.
