Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski listed every team’s most dangerous addition from this offseason. For some, that addition came via a big free agency signing, like Stefon Diggs to the New England Patriots. The Dallas Cowboys made a splash trading for George Pickens. Those additions have the potential to alter the team.
The New Orleans Saints got that same effect when they drafted Tyler Shough in the second round. Many of the rookies on the list were first round selections. No disrespect to Kelvin Banks Jr., but him being viewed as the more dangerous addition than Shough would have been an indictment on the quarterback from a purely positional value perspective.
Shough will more likely than not be the starting quarterback for New Orleans Week 1. That position has the ability to change the entire trajectory of a season. Shough hasn't started a game but some already have their eyes on Arch Manning in 2026. He may not even declare, but more importantly, Shough needs to put the idea of picking Manning out of reach.
If Shough comes in and plays well, we're looking at the future leader of the team for the next decade plus. A poor performance will have fans quickly looking for a new answer. Sobleski mentioned variance when previewing the draft picks, and it certainly applies to Shough.
How the quarterback's rookie season goes is anyone's guess. Coming into the league, you have analyst who absolutely love the tools and others who strongly question what the ceiling is. We'll begin to form an answer to the questions of "who is Shough?" when the season starts.
Shough's impact post-Derek Carr retirement
Shough's intended impact is pretty similar before and after Derek Carr's retirement. That's just because no one expected Carr to be a factor, though. The only thing that changed was the timeline. Carr would have been the Week 1 starter, assuming health if he stayed in New Orleans.
Shough isn’t a first round pick, but he was still a high investment. There’s a special emphasis around Shough being the highest drafted quarterback in Saints history since Archie Manning, but the truth is a top-50 pick is still a sign of investing highly in the position.
That pick was made with the expectation Shough would become the starter, and even an expectation around the timeline of this happening. Carr obviously removed himself from the conversation by retiring, but the Saints picked Shough regardless. It's unclear how much the Saints knew around the NFL draft. It's doubtful they knew retirement was pending.
Carr was mentally moved aside early in the offseason in the minds of many before he officially stepped away. The writing was on the wall that he'd never suit up for the Saints again. Retirement was just his method.
