Saints QB depth chart: How it looks for Derek Carr after New Orleans drafts Tyler Shough
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Best NFC 2025 NFL Draft picks
USA TODAY's Tyler Dragon breaks down which teams in the NFC drafted the best this year.
Sports Seriously
The New Orleans Saints, these days, seem to operate on a hope and a prayer.
With no clear path to contention and a salary cap situation that never seems to get better, the Saints are clinging to average rosters with the idea that they'll be anything but when the games kick off. That's a fine idea in the movies, but New Orleans is living the real-life consequences of holding on.
That becomes increasingly clear in the quarterback room.
The Super Bowl win at the end of the 2009 season feels like a distant memory, just like the glory days of the late 2010s. Drew Brees and Michael Thomas aren't walking through that door anytime soon, leaving the Saints as a team stuck in the middle.
They signed Derek Carr to lead the team in the post-Brees years, only to see a diminishing return on their investment.
Now for the first time since 2005, the Saints are operating with a coaching staff that doesn't have Sean Payton's direct influence. Fresh off drafting a quarterback, perhaps New Orleans is readying for a change of direction.
As the quarterback depth chart shows, it's much closer than it seems.
Saints QB depth chart
A shoulder injury for Carr could pave the way for his eventual departure from the bayou. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport previously reported that the injury "has put his availability for 2025 in doubt," and the quarterback was considering surgery to deal with the issue.
Until something happens, however, the 11-year veteran Carr is the engine that powers the Saints offense.
If New Orleans decides to break its four-year lease or Carr opts for surgery, they have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings.
The Saints drafted Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, meaning it's only a matter of time before he gets the chance to start. Shough is a seasoned rookie who will turn 26 at the end of September and comes with a whopping seven years of college experience, having made stops at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville.
New Orleans won't benefit much from letting him waste away on the bench given his age. That would allow Moore the opportunity to put his stamp on the team.
The remaining duo of Rattler and Haener are also holdovers from the previous Saints' regime. Neither of them figures to be in a position to start, and one of them will almost certainly be off the roster if Carr is able to play.
Rattler is in the better position of the two, but still posted an 0-6 record in his starts while tossing four touchdowns to five interceptions.
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