Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier talks to New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore, left, before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Insider Reacts To Saints QB Battle With Fresh Take

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints are in a different position right now than any other team in the National Football League.

This, of course, is in reference to the Saints being the only team without a known starting quarterback for Week 1. Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough are still in competition for the starting job. Kellen Moore acknowledged that fact on Tuesday and made it clear that the team is going to use this final preseason week to continue the competi tion. The soonest we will know the starter will be after Saturday's preseason finale between the Saints and the Denver Broncos.

This isn't the first time this offseason the Saints have been the last team in football to do something. New Orleans had to wait until after the Super Bowl to hire Moore. With all of the head coach openings, Moore was the last one to sign on. Now, the Saints are going to be the final team to name a starting quarterback.

The Saints are still staring at a game-changing decision

There's a lot out there right now with plenty of conflicting chatter about the quarterback room. There's been times when Rattler has seemed like the clear favorite and others in which it seemed like it was Shough's job to lose. Right now, it's anyone's guess who will start. Shough is the second-round pick selected by Moore, but Rattler is the guy who has led off as the starter on occasions. Throughout the rotations, Rattler has started off as the top guy. That was the case to begin training camp, the first preseason game, and when the team returned to practice after the second preseason game.

It's all up in the air right now. ESPN's Dan Graziano is one of the latest to weigh in and shared that even if Shough doesn't win the starting job now, he thinks he'll get a chance at some point in 2025.

"Most likely outcome: Rattler certainly has a shot to hold off Shough in the short term (or even the long term)," Graziano said. "Stranger things have happened. But the fact that the Saints drafted Shough as high as they did, just a few months after hiring Kellen Moore as their coach, indicates that Shough is likely to get a chance to show what he can do sooner or later. This is a very tough one to predict, but the most likely outcome is Shough develops into the starter by the end of the season and opens 2026 with the job."

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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