Saints' Tyler Shough Predicted To Beat Out Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart

The New Orleans Saints took the third quarterback in the recent 2025 National Football League Draft but that doesn't mean he won't get an opportunity early.

Cam Ward was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and technically is in a quarterback battle with the Tennessee Titans, but significantly more likely than not will be the starter Week 1. Other rookies to keep an eye on this season are Tyler Shough with New Orleans, Shedeur Sanders with the Cleveland Browns, and Jaxson Dart with the New York Giants.

Dart was the second quarterback taken in the NFL Draft and Sanders had more buzz than anyone else.

CBS Sports' Josh Edwards shared a column on Wednesday predicting when each of the top rookies will make their first start and had Shough and Ward for Week 1, Sanders (or Dillon Gabriel) in Week 10, and Dart in Week 9.

"Tyler Shough, Saints: Week 1 vs. Cardinals," Edwards said. "New Orleans has Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and Shough competing for the starting spot in the wake of Derek Carr's retirement. Shough is the most talented of the trio and the team has invested a second-round pick in the player, but the franchise wants to avoid a tennis match where it is going back and forth among its quarterbacks. There needs to be little doubt Shough is going to be the quarterback of the foreseeable future, which means being patient through the ups and downs. If Rattler starts the first few weeks before head coach Kellen Moore arrives at the decision to start Shough, then that is probably the latest the rookie out of Louisville takes the field with the starters...

"Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel, Browns: Week 10 at Jets. Anyone's guess is as good as mine when it comes to the Browns quarterback situation. The other dynamic at play in regards to Sanders is the presence of fellow rookie Gabriel, who was actually the first of the two rookies drafted. It would not be a surprise if either started Week 1 over veterans Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, but it would also not be a surprise if three quarterbacks or more started for Cleveland this season...Jaxson Dart, Giants: Week 9 vs. 49ers. Most teams probably do not look at its schedule with the expectation that a rookie quarterback will be inserted for a particular game."

This isn't too shocking. Shough has been called the most NFL-ready quarterback in this year's rookie class. Now, he just has to win the quarterback battle.

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