Saints' Tyler Shough Has Shot At Something Few Rookies Do

Who will be the New Orleans Saints' Week 1 quarterback?

New Orleans will take on the Arizona Cardinals at home and this is still the biggest question swirling around the franchise right now. Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler are the main candidates for the starting job with Jake Haener and Hunter Dekkers in the quarterback room as well.

No matter who starts Week 1, Shough surely will get an opportunity at some point after being taken with the No. 40 overall pick in the second round of the 2025 National Football League Draft.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer took a look at the landscape for rookie quarterbacks in 2025 and said Shough actually has the best chance outside of Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward at a Week 1 starting job.

"Barring something unforeseen, Cam Ward will be a Week 1 starting quarterback—and I’d set the over/under for the total number of rookies doing so at his position league-wide at 1.5," Breer said. "Yes, the Titans are holding a competition at the position. But the reality is it’s a competition in name only...

"But after Ward? I’d say Saints rookie Tyler Shough has the best chance to start, with only Spencer Rattler in his way in New Orleans. Jaxson Dart, Gabriel or Sanders may eventually get real work with their teams but probably not from the very beginning of the season. A rookie QB starting anywhere else would signal disaster. Which affirms what we already knew: This wasn’t a great draft year for quarterbacks."

This seems to be pretty fair. Even if it doesn't come true, though, we likely will see Shough at some point even if it isn't Week 1.