The New Orleans Saints announced Wednesday that rookie Spencer Rattler will make his NFL debut under center on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Veteran starter Derek Carr suffered an oblique tear during Monday's 26-13 loss to Kansas City and is expected to miss time, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
New Orleans has only started one rookie quarterback since 2001 (Ian Book in Week 17, 2021). They are one of three teams to start one or fewer rookie passers in that span (Kansas City and Green Bay).
Rattler was drafted 150th overall in April out of South Carolina, the seventh passer selected at the 2024 draft.
His college career was mostly in the shadow of elite quarterback prospects like Caleb Williams — who replaced Rattler at Oklahoma in 2021 — but his stats tell a different story, one that should have Saints fans excited to see his debut Sunday.
In four years as a starter, Rattler put up 10,807 yards with a 68.5 career passing percentage and 8.2 yards per attempt. In three years, Williams posted 10,082 yards with a 66.9 career passer rating and 9.2 yards per attempt.
These numbers don't suggest Rattler is the same caliber quarterback as Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in April, but they should be encouraging for New Orleans fans.
Rattler was considered a steal by draft analysts and he started backing that assessment up in July at training camp with impressive throws.
In August, Rattler spoke to reporters about his chemistry with receiver Chris Olave, praising his abilities as a pass catcher.
"Dude's different," Rattler said. "I make it a key point. When he’s in, get him the ball. It’s that simple."
Rattler tossed for 202 yards and two total touchdowns on 20 completions (53%) in the preseason, a small sample of what could be coming on Sunday against Tampa Bay.
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