As if it weren’t already apparent that New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore hasn’t made a decision on who will be the team’s starting quarterback on the opening Sunday of the season, the way practice on August 2nd unfolded created more answers than questions. Despite the fact that Spencer Rattler has been viewed as the favorite to win the competition through the first week of camp, on Saturday, he worked with the third-team offense.
“Over the first eight days of camp, Spencer Rattler always took second-team reps on days that he didn’t run with the starters,” writes Matthew Paras of NOLA.com. “But when the group reconvened in the morning, and with Tyler Shough getting starting reps, it was Jake Haener — not Rattler — running with the 2’s.”
Understandably, the timing of Rattler’s first day with the 3’s prompted Kellen Moore to have to answer some questions about the decision. And as Moore explained, it was about making sure all three quarterbacks in the running are as close to equal reps as possible.
“Just balancing out the rotations,” Moore told reporters. “Really, just looking at the numbers on an off day and making sure we keep rotating these guys and going through that.”
Is Spencer Rattler Still The Presumed Favorite?
How the preseason unfolds will go a long way in determining who ultimately is listed as QB1 when the Arizona Cardinals come to town on Sunday September 7, but for now, it’s safe to say that Rattler is being treated as though he’s the top guy in the room. As Paras notes, Rattler not only has the most pass attempts during training camp through Saturday’s practice, he also has the best completion percentage.
Spencer Rattler: 50-71, 70% completion
Jake Haener: 41-59, 69% completion
Tyler Shough: 33-54, 61% completion
With that said, Rattler hasn’t yet done enough for Kellen Moore and the rest of the Saints coaching staff to call the competition in his favor. Meanwhile, Shough and Haener are doing just enough to keep things interesting and give Moore something to think about.
Saints Have No Timeline For Starting Quarterback Decision
Obviously Kellen Moore will need to make this important decision before the first Sunday in September, but it’s possible the Saints will let the entire preseason play out before crowning either Rattler, Shough or Haener the winner. To paraphrase how Kellen Moore put it earlier this week, they’ll make the decision whenever the winner reveals himself.
“Anytime the decision becomes clear, we’ll make the decision, we’ll just roll and that can happen whenever. [If] it goes all the way to the end, it goes all the way to the end. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” Moore said.
The first opportunity for all three of these quarterbacks to impress in preseason action will be on August 10, when the Saints visit the Los Angeles Chargers.
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