The New Orleans Saints won’t use their preseason opener to get another extended look at starting quarterback Tyler Shough.
Head coach Kellen Moore confirmed that Spencer Rattler will start against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, while Shough is expected to be among the Saints starters who sit after getting their primary work against Jacksonville in a joint practice.
For Shough, the decision is notable precisely because there doesn’t appear to be a quarterback controversy behind it. He enters his second season as New Orleans’ established starter after taking over the job during his rookie year. Instead, Moore’s explanation points to how the Saints are dividing up their preseason work.
The starters essentially got their game this week before Saturday arrived.
Kellen Moore Explains Why Saints Don’t Need Tyler Shough to Play
Moore emphasized the value of putting his first-team offense through longer drives against Jacksonville during the joint-practice setting.
The Saints encountered stretches of eight to 10 plays at a time, something Moore said more closely resembles the demands of an actual game.
“This is kind of their first test of, you know, these eight, 10-play drives, which is more real football,” Moore said. “So, this is their exposure to that. And that’s what you’re not getting in a preseason game by not playing in it.”
Moore also saw value in removing some of the familiarity that develops when an offense spends most of training camp facing its own defense.
He said joint practices expose players to different fronts, styles and ways of defending concepts that New Orleans’ offense has repeatedly run against its own teammates.
“I think you get different — just different looks and different play styles,” Moore said. “Every defense is going to play it a little bit different.”
That makes the decision on Shough easier to understand. New Orleans isn’t simply eliminating meaningful August reps for its starting quarterback. The Saints are choosing where those reps happen.
And Moore liked what he saw from Shough against Jacksonville.
He said the second-year quarterback showed “good command” and produced “some real positives,” while stressing that there are still lessons to take from the session and plenty of work remaining before the regular season.
Spencer Rattler Gets the Jaguars Start
When Moore was asked directly whether Rattler would start Saturday, his response was simple: “Yes.”
That turns the preseason game into a much different quarterback evaluation for New Orleans.
Shough doesn’t need to win the job he already owns. Rattler, meanwhile, has a chance to make his case for the No. 2 role with actual game reps.
The contrast illustrates how much changed at quarterback over the course of Shough’s rookie season.
A second-round pick in 2025, Shough didn’t begin last season as New Orleans’ starter. He eventually took over and started nine games, helping the Saints go 5-4 in those starts. He finished the season completing 221 of 327 passes for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, according to the Saints. His 91.3 passer rating accompanied a rookie season strong enough to make him a finalist for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
By this offseason, the Saints described Shough as their unquestioned starter.
That context matters when evaluating Saturday’s decision. Shough sitting isn’t evidence that New Orleans has reopened its quarterback competition. If anything, the Saints can afford to hand the preseason start to Rattler because Shough’s place atop the depth chart no longer needs an August audition.
Saints Turn Preseason Opener Into an Evaluation Game
Moore’s plan extends beyond Shough.
New Orleans is expected to rest most of its starters after the joint-practice work, while Jacksonville coach Liam Coen is taking a similar approach with his veterans. That leaves Saturday’s game at the Caesars Superdome heavily tilted toward reserves and players fighting for roster spots.
Moore also said quarterback Hunter Dekkers could potentially get into the game after Rattler.
For fans hoping to see how Shough looks entering Year 2, the better evidence this week came before kickoff.
Moore wanted his starting offense handling unfamiliar looks, sustaining longer drives and reacting to another team’s personnel. The Saints believe they got that work against Jacksonville already.
Saturday belongs to the players who still have something to prove.
New Orleans Saints Make Tyler Shough Decision Before Jaguars Game