Saints Make 1st Cut To Quarterback Competition

The New Orleans Saints hit the field for their second preseason game on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars and made it clear that the quarterback competition has shifted and is down to two guys.

Tyler Shough got the start and played the first half. Spencer Rattler got the second half. Shough went 9-for-12 passing for 66 yards. He was sacked twice for 17 games and had an 87.5 quarterback rating. Rattler went 18-of-24 passing for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He wasn't sacked at all and had a 95.7 quarterback rating.

This game essentially was a reverse of the first preseason game. In the first game, Rattler was iffy while Shough shined afterward. This time, Shough didn't take control and then Rattler impressed. Unlike the first game, Jake Haener didn't get into the action.

After the game, head coach Kellen Moore shared that the hope was to get Jake Haener into the action as well, but didn't due to evaluation purposes, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell.

"Kellen Moore said they wanted to get Jake Haener in the game but it was important for evaluation purposes to get Rattler back in the game," Terrell said.

Saints make it clear QB competition is between Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler

Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener (3) warms up against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

While Moore didn't officially say Haener is out, reading between the lines, that's what this game showed. If Haener was still in the mix for the starting job, the team would've needed to see more evaluation from him as well, but choose instead to see Rattler get more reps in live action.

There's just one more preseason game and then the regular season will follow. It would make sense to name a starter sooner rather than later to fully get behind whoever it is. Entering the game, Shough seemed to have the edge. But, now, it seems to be a toss up once again. Right now, there's really no way to know what the Saints are going to do. It's going to be a difficult decisions, for sure. Both Shough and Rattler have had flashes where they have looked like guys who could lead this team to a better season than 2024.

There have been times in which both have looked inconsistent and struggled.

That's going to happen with young quarterbacks. Both guys can do well in this system. Now, it's only a matter of the team deciding who it is going to be.

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