New Orleans Saints fans are buzzing with anticipation as the team’s quarterback battle takes center stage in the opening days of training camp. Under new head coach Kellen Moore, the competition is proving to be one of the most closely watched stories not just in New Orleans, but across the NFL .
From the start, three quarterbacks have been in the mix: second-year signal-caller Spencer Rattler, rookie Tyler Shough, and third-year manJake Haener. But as training camp opens, multiple recent reports suggest a new favorite may be emerging.
According to several Saints beat reporters, Kellen Moore is employing a unique approach to the quarterback rotation. Instead of sharing reps amongst all the candidates in a single practice, Moore is giving each quarterback a full day of work with the first team. One day it’s Shough taking all the first-team snaps; the next it might be Haener or Rattler. Saints reporter Jeff Nowak stated that this “player-per-day” strategy is designed to let each candidate settle in and demonstrate their capabilities without a snap-by-snap rotation disrupting rhythm.
According to longtime Saints reporter Nick Underhill, When asked about the timeline for naming a starter, Moore said while sees value in making the decision early, he won’t force the issue. According to Mike Triplett, General manager Mickey Loomis echoed this, noting the priority is “accuracy,” not a rushed timeline.
While the official party line is patience and process, these procedural choices signal more. When NFL coaches use a day-by-day first-string rotation, especially with a new quarterback they drafted or brought into the building, it often means they want to see if the newcomer can take the job. Rather than default to seniority, Moore is making sure Shough gets extensive first-team exposure right alongside more experienced options. The intention is clear: give Shough every chance to prove he’s ready to start from day one.
Spencer Rattler, as a returning player with real game experience, might seem like the natural frontrunner in a conventional battle. Yet the fact that he isn’t publicly being described as the starter (even if just for now) speaks volumes. As for Jake Haener, most agree he profiles more as a backup rather than a true threat for the top job in Week 1.
Why might Moore prefer Shough? Moore is clearly looking top physical tools: big arm, mobile, and high ceiling. He had that when coaching star QBs like Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, and Jalen Hurts in the past. While Spencer Rattler has some of those skill sets, Shough more closely resembles that archetype. When it comes to Haener, it seems his intelligence and decision making aren’t enough to overcome his lack of the elite physical toolkit Moore prefers.
The fact that Moore and the front office spent draft capital to get Shough should also be remembered. He is “their” guy and they will naturally give him as many opportunities as reasonably possibly to become the starter. It may only take a stretch of a few good practices where he ran with the first string for Shough to be named the starter. The fact that Moore doesn’t have a deadline set to make a decision (final preseason game, Week 1, etc) means that he will wait until he sees enough before the final decision is made.
While things may evolve as camp and preseason unfold, all signs point toward rookie Tyler Shough as the likely choice to open the season as New Orleans’ starting quarterback. That being said, until one quarterback separates himself decisively, expect all eyes to remain fixed on every snap, every pass, and every practice rep in this razor-close QB contest.
Disclaimer: The content of this article was originally published as a YouTube video on the Saturday Morning Inspection YouTube channel. With AI assistance, the publisher of the video created this article based on the content of that video.
