The New Orleans Saints entered this season with a lot of optimism, in large part because of Tyler Shough.
This is Shough’s second season in the NFL. He showed some serious potential as a rookie after being a second-round pick.
The hope for the Saints would be that Shough takes a leap. He wasn’t guaranteed to turn into their franchise quarterback, but the door hadn’t been closed on that yet.
Shough wouldn’t have drawn up his start to the season the way it went, though.
He struggled immensely in the first half at Detroit on Sunday against the Lions in Week 1.
It raised the question of what might come next for the Saints — is there any chance they would bench Shough?
If they did, they’d have some experience coming into the game.
Who is Saints’ Backup QB?
The Saints’ backup quarterback is Spencer Rattler.
Rattler is a 2024 fifth-round pick who is actually younger than Shough.
And he’s got some starting experience in the NFL, too.
Rattler started six games in 2024 (0-6) and then eight more in 2025 (1-7). He wasn’t great, but those records weren’t all his fault, either.
Between his first two NFL seasons, Rattler has completed 62.7% of his passes for 2,903 yards and 12 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
Rattler also is quite mobile. He has 49 NFL runs for 313 yards, an average of 6.4 yards per carry.
The Saints also have Zach Wilson, who was inactive as their emergency third quarterback in Week 1.
The Spencer Rattler Intrigue
There are a few people out there who are still intrigued by Rattler, mainly for one reason.
If Rattler had been eligible to come to the NFL after his second college season, he may have been a top-10 pick.
But then he struggled, and he transferred, and he turned into a fifth-rounder instead.
Clearly, Rattler had more flaws to his game than people believed early in his career, but he also was a player that had analysts dreaming on him as a future NFL star.
He probably can’t be a star anymore, but given that he’s younger than Shough despite being drafted a year earlier, it feels like he could still have some growth.
There’s almost no chance the Saints bench Shough this early, of course. They can’t take his confidence like that.
But if they did, Rattler would take the field still with what feels like a bit of untapped upside.
Saints’ Backup QB Trends as Tyler Shough Struggles in Week 1