Saints QB Battle Will Come Down To This, NFL Writer Says

The New Orleans Saints’ quarterback competition doesn’t have a clear frontrunner yet.

Granted, we are only five days into training camp, but neither rookie Tyler Shough nor second-year man Spencer Rattler has separated himself as the starter. 

According to The Spun’s Chris Rosvoglou, the starting job will come down to how Shough and Rattler perform during New Orleans’ preseason games.

“When you hear about an inconsistent practice from Spencer Rattler on Sunday, and you hear about an inconsistent practice from Tyler Shough on Monday, I think this hammers across the point that the preseason games are what will matter,” Rosvoglou said on Monday.

“How does Tyler Shough look in the preseason?" Rosvoglou continued. "How does Spencer Rattler look in the preseason? Because, similar to last year, remember when Rattler and Haener went at it in the preseason? For us fans, you couldn't hide it anymore -- we saw that Rattler was better than Haener in those preseason games and then obviously played better than him in the regular season when they got their spot starts. A similar thing has to happen now for the quarterbacks, in my opinion. You haven't seen anyone really separate in practice ... Preseason games, the first one on August 10, that is where you'll see the real difference for these two quarterbacks.”

Since the 2025 NFL draft, Shough has been talked about as the favorite to win the job, mostly due to being new head coach Kellen Moore’s handpicked QB. However, Rattler has been generating buzz as a strong candidate of late, and he ultimately brings more NFL experience to the table.

Surely, Saints fans will have their eyes glued to the television during August’s preseason action.