Canal Street Chronicles
When the New Orleans Saints drafted quarterback Tyler Shough out of Louisville in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft many were left scratching their heads. Shough was 26 years old and had completed just one full season of college football in a six-year career and was rarely seen with a second-round grade on any pre-draft analyses. However, as we now sit at the start of the offseason for the Saints, Shough has solidified himself as the quarterback of the future and I would argue is even deserving of Offensive Rookie of the Year. As it stands, the three players with the best odds to win OROY are Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan, Giants QB Jaxson Dart, and Shough. Each had great rookie seasons and should have their teams feeling good about the future, but I feel Shough was the best of them.
Jaxson Dart had a very good rookie season for the New York Giants. In 12 games started he threw for 2,272 yards and 15 touchdowns with 5 interceptions on 63.7% completion, and also ran for 487 yards and 9 touchdowns. These stats did not translate into many wins however, as he went 4-8 as a starter and was 0/3 on potential game winning drives this year. Shough threw for 2,384 yards and 10 touchdowns with 6 interceptions and 67.6% completion in 10 games, 9 of which as a starter. Shough finished the year with a record of 5-4 as a starter for a team that finished 6-11 for the whole season and was 3/5 on potential game winning drives this year. Dart threw more touchdowns and fewer interceptions but also had a worse completion percentage and less yards despite playing two more games.
On paper Dart’s stats look slightly better than Shough’s, but the way Shough was able to consistently win games for his team while Dart continued to come up short in the same opportunities should be the deciding factor in the rookie of the year conversation. Dart also had some games where he simply disappeared, like a 33-yard 0 touchdown day against the Vikings. He never threw for 300 yards while Shough did so twice, and had only one game with a QB rating over 110.0 while Shough had three. Dart also had the luxury of being able to lean on the #5 rushing offense in the NFL this year, while Shough was pretty much the sole reason the Saints were able to move the ball for most of his starts, as they employed the 28th ranked rushing attack in the league.
Both Tyler Shough and Jaxson Dart are very promising young quarterbacks, but Shough had a bigger impact on his team this year and turned the Saints season around when he was named the starter. The Saints were one of the worst teams in the NFL at 1-7 before Shough took over and managed to finish over their projected wins on the season. Dart was the...
