METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints started OTAs final week with a uncommon sight: A quarterback competitors.
Second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough had been break up off in sections of the group’s indoor apply facility. On Thursday, Rattler labored with the first-team offense and Shough with the second-team. Third-year quarterback Jake Haener, who’s coping with an indirect pressure, watched from the facet.
Each quarterbacks had their highs and lows in apply, with Shough’s finest throw approaching a deep cross to broad receiver Rashid Shaheed. However they will not identify a beginning quarterback popping out of a apply in Might — the group intends for that to return later.
Saints coach Kellen Moore mentioned each quarterback received their flip with the first-team offense in Week 1 of OTAs final week, together with Haener earlier than his indirect damage. That rotation will proceed all through the summer season.
“I do not need them to get into [a state] the place they’re at all times who’s in, who’s out,” Moore mentioned.
As a result of quarterback Derek Carr retired on Might 10, the Saints’ beginning quarterback spot is up for grabs for the second time within the final 20-plus years. The opposite time was when Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill competed to be Drew Brees’ successor after Brees retired in 2021.
Whereas that competitors featured two quarterbacks with a number of years of NFL expertise, that is new territory for the Saints: 4 younger gamers, two of whom have a mixed seven NFL begins and no skilled wins. Shough, Rattler and Haener, together with undrafted rookie free agent Hunter Dekkers, who the group picked up on Might 13, will spend their summer season making an attempt to acquire one of many two (or three) spots within the quarterback room.
“It has been actually good. Yeah, it has been quite a lot of enjoyable. I imply, we’re throughout the identical age, converse the identical language,” Shough mentioned. “We have all been round one another. So I believe that is been the enjoyable half, simply studying this offense collectively, bouncing concepts off of one another and competing.”
This early within the offseason, the Saints need their quarterbacks — all of whom are 26 or youthful — to understand new ideas, get in a rhythm operating the offense and ease into the concept of a contest with the restricted reps they’re allowed on the sphere.
It is what Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier calls “the large image view.”
“What we try to do is begin from a 30,000-foot view so to say, and we try to simply proceed to deliver it down and down and down,” Nussmeier mentioned. “You try to begin from the large image and get them to grasp the large image and the why of how we wish to do what we wish to do. ‘OK, this is what we wish it to appear like, this is the place to begin and now we work via each step to get to the place we wish to be.'”
Rattler went 0-6 as a starter final 12 months from Weeks 6 to eight and Weeks 15 to 17 whereas Carr handled accidents. He misplaced his job briefly to Haener and received it again after Haener was pulled as a starter following one half of a recreation in opposition to the Washington Commanders in Week 14.
“I believe final 12 months was not a standard scenario, as you guys know, strolling into, however realized that I can get via adversity, I may play at this degree and felt good about it, wish to enhance and construct on that,” Rattler mentioned.
Moore mentioned he lately advised the group that everybody has a “clean slate” going into this offseason. No matter occurred final 12 months would not matter anymore, he mentioned.
Does that imply that any quarterback may win the job? In actuality, it is extra difficult. The Saints chosen Shough with their second-round choose, an indication they possible see him as their quarterback of the long run, if not this season, then quickly.
The competitors has largely been painted as a two-man race between Shough and Rattler, who was a fifth-round choose final 12 months and comes into this competitors as essentially the most skilled man within the group.
Haener acknowledged that truth final week however mentioned he wasn’t bothered by it. He is already handled competitors for the backup spot after they drafted Rattler only one 12 months after Haener was taken within the fourth spherical of the 2023 draft.
“I have been the underdog at each stage, all over the place I have been, so it is nothing new to me. Simply go do my factor,” Haener mentioned.
However every quarterback has his personal hurdles to clear earlier than the true competitors can begin. Shough, who performed seven years in faculty at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville, mentioned he is making an attempt to nail down the verbiage and unlearn “5 or 6 offenses,” whereas studying to be fast and concise out and in of the huddle.
Haener, who mentioned he has performed in “9 techniques in seven years,” not solely has to unlearn outdated offenses as properly, however maintain tempo in a race the place he is already a step behind as a consequence of being sidelined for a number of weeks with an damage.
Rattler mentioned he desires to enhance off a rookie season that noticed his first coach fired, the beginning quarterback injured and accidents at a number of positions. He mentioned he already feels extra assured than he did at this level final 12 months.
“I really feel like I’ve at all times been fairly assured, even when it is up and down, you bought to keep up that confidence, however I assume you possibly can say I am somewhat extra snug now going into 12 months two,” Rattler mentioned. “Clearly nowhere close to the place I wish to be, however I really feel good proper now.”
However whether or not that confidence interprets right into a beginning job for Rattler, Shough or Haener will possible have to attend a number of months, via coaching camp and after the conclusion of the group’s preseason video games.
Proper now, it is “huge image” time for the younger quarterback room.
“You bought to go in there and function. You bought a style of that in [rookie] mini camp. You bought model new faces, the expectations, you bought to go on the market and carry out and I like it,” Shough mentioned. ” … It is actually, actually cool to return in and function. I really feel much more ready being sort of an older rookie coming in, not being as nervous to develop these relationships, however understanding that is my entire job is to proceed to earn my function and do all the things I can.”
