Cardinals Could Face Rookie QB in Week 1 Debut

The Arizona Cardinals are making plans to get ready for the team's season opener on Sept. 7 on the road against the New Orleans Saints, and there is already potential for history to be made on that day.

The Cardinals are expected to start Kyler Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but the Saints could go with a rookie making his pro debut.

Bleacher Report writer Brad Gagnon suggested the Saints could start No. 40 overall pick Tyler Shough out of NC State in Week 1 against the Cardinals.

"With Derek Carr now officially gone, Shough has become the odds-on favorite to start for the Saints in Week 1. The second-round pick out of Louisville isn’t guaranteed that spot, though, as the Saints have two other decent options in Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener," Gagnon wrote. 

"Considering that Shough also has plenty of room to develop, this could go either way. And of course, the team could still opt to bring in a veteran to bridge the gap. 

"It’s slim pickings right now, however, and Rattler and Haener did not inspire much confidence in 2024 action. 

"Throw in that the Saints open up with a manageable home game against Arizona and I’m thinking they go with 25-year-old rook right off the bat."

The Saints shocked the NFL by taking Shough in the second round instead of a player like Alabama's Jalen Milroe (who joined the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks), or Shedeur Sanders, who many saw as the next best quarterback available after Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart were chosen in the first round.

Shough, a Chandler, Ariz. native, will turn 26 at the end of September, so he isn't exactly a spring chicken as a prospect. He still has room for development, and that could begin against his hometown team in his NFL debut.