Saints 'Biggest Weakness' Could Turnaround Quickly

The New Orleans Saints entered the offseason with questions at quarterback and they only were taken to another level when Derek Carr announced his retirement from the National Football League.

Luckily, the Saints had already snagged Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 National Football League Draft before Carr announced his retirement. Now, it seems like the starting job is going to come down to either Shough or 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler unless either Jake Haener or Hunter Dekkers can take the job away.

The quarterback room is young and inexperienced and with that, it brings questions. It's hard to judge when there isn't a large sample at the NFL level.

Shough wasn't with the team last year, but Rattle and Haener both were and got some opportunities with Carr injured. The team struggled overall, which likely is why most of the buzz has been negative this offseason. The quarterback position was in flux last year and Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman called it the team's "biggest weakness."

"Biggest weakness in 2024: Passing offense," Chadwick and Wasserman said. "Doomed by an offensive line that ranked 31st in PFF pass-blocking grade, New Orleans couldn’t find much success through the air last season. When Derek Carr was healthy, they were at least a respectable unit. He appeared in only 10 games, though, and the passing game cratered when either Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener was at the helm. Further complicating things were injuries to top receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed."

That can quickly change in 2025. First, with better health to the playmakers around, it will just make the quarterback's life easier. The Saints went out and got Kelvin Banks Jr. in the first round to boost the offensive line. There's also been a lot of positive buzz out of Saints camp about both Shough and Rattler so far in the quarterback competition.

2024 was a tough year, but things can change in 2025.

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