Tyler Shough Overshadows Spencer Rattler in the Saints Quarterback Competition
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The Saints went into the Kellen Moore era with an immediate splash, drafting Tyler Shough in the 2nd round. Shough came into the draft with mixed reviews, but the Saints liked what they saw and thus drafted him to compete with Spencer Rattler. As the quarterback competition has come to a head, it seems that Shough is already grabbing ahold of the starting job.
QB Profiles
Tyler Shough is a 2nd round pick out of Louisville. As a 7th year senior, Shough transferred to Louisville to play under new head coach, Jeff Brohm. It took awhile to shine, but in year seven, Tyler Shough recorded a 62.7% completion percentage, 3,195 Yards and 23 Touchdowns in his 12 games. This provided an eye-catching highlight reel and thus gave him tremendous draft stock.
On the flip side, Spencer Rattler has been a low-risk high-reward investment by the Saints. Rattler entered college as a highly touted quarterback recruit, but fell way below expectations. This resulted in his benching to Caleb Williams at Oklahoma, and his alternative route has brought him the Saints as a fifth round pick in 2024. In 2024, Rattler started six times for the Saints but achieved just 1,317 Yards, 4 Touchdowns, and 5 Interceptions.
The Competition
Per reports, Shough has been outplaying Rattler all camp long. He entered training camp as the QB2, but it seems he is already inching as the QB1 in the offense.
In the Saints preseason debut, Rattler got the start, but Shough played more snaps. Rattler went 7-11 for 53 Yards and 0 touchdowns or interceptions. He did have a sack-fumble. The longest drive was just 8 plays for 42 yards with the best play being a 21 yard completion to Cedric Wilson Jr.
Shough then picked up a majority of the work. He would go 15-22 with 165 Yards, 1 Touchdown and 1 Interception. This all peaked in a huge 54 yard touchdown connection to Mason Tipton down the left side of the field.
In total, Rattler plays five drives while Shough got six. They had relatively similar playing time. All signs point to Shough being the clear leader in the battle. The Saints will play their next game this Sunday versus the Jaguars. If Shough looks better again, he will surely be named the starter soon after.
My Projection
Tyler Shough is the better quarterback, no doubt about it. He also commands higher upside and investment. He will start for the Saints.
Regarding fantasy football, there is not enough talent on this roster for relevancy. I believe that fantasy football runs deep at the quarterback position this year, but Shough will be one player that I will stay away from. Too much risk and lack of talent. I would take him in a dynasty league, but that is it.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.