ClutchPoints
The New Orleans Saints are under no pressure to be good this season. Undoing past mistakes will take at least a year, maybe even longer since the guy who made them is still calling the shots. Fans have begrudgingly watched the team lumber through a four-year playoffs drought and will tough it out for another season or two for the hope of a fresh start. First-year Saints head coach Kellen Moore will have considerable leeway in how he forges this new era of Big Easy football.
But what the city wants to see is a concrete plan. Although the Saints presented the outline of a blueprint when they selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, skepticism is rising. The rookie is not progressing quite as quickly as the fan base probably hoped. What is more concerning, however, is the uncertainty that New Orleans apparently feels about the entire QB room.
Based on the team’s first unofficial depth chart for the 2025-26 campaign, the Saints are still searching for short-term answers. They refused to reveal anything regarding the signal-caller hierarchy, listing second-year talent Spencer Rattler “or” Shough “or” 2023 fourth-rounder Jake Haener as the starter. You know the saying. If you have multiple quarterbacks, you don’t have a quarterback.
Yes, there is still almost a month to go before the Saints’ season opener, and yes, they have yet to even play a preseason game. A camp competition can also help push young players forward. Clarity is vital, though, especially when it concerns this franchise. Longtime general manager Mickey Loomis was forced to pivot after Derek Carr retired, but he knew the situation was already murky. The front office should have been more prepared.
Now, a QB free-for-all is evidentially taking place in Metairie, Louisiana. None of the candidates have inspired much confidence to this point, which means there is a possibility the ultimate depth chart decision ends up being more about who is the best of the rest rather than who outright snatches the role. Translation: patience is a virtue.
Regardless of who takes snaps under center this season, attaining stability behind a suspect offensive line will be grueling. Hence, it is wise to ease Tyler Shough into the QB 1 slot.
Growing pains are inevitable, especially since he played only one full season during his long yet injury-plagued college career. But one expects a second-round pick to have a better feel for the game during training camp. Shough has struggled thus far. New Orleans is hoping that his noteworthy physical tools, which include arm strength and a 6-foot-5 frame, will consistently shine on the practice field and during preseason.
This prospect is not supposed to be a project, however. He will turn 26 years old by the end of September. He also does not have a fifth-year option in his contract like first-rounders do, so there is less...
