METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Spencer Rattler will be the New Orleans Saints' starting quarterback when the club opens the regular season at home against Arizona, first-year coach Kellen Moore said Tuesday.
“He's just been consistent, he's made some really good decisions throughout this whole entire process and his ability to make plays with his arm and his feet have certainly shown up,” Moore said. “He's earned this opportunity. He's going to do a tremendous job for us.”
Moore also announced that versatile offensive and special teams player Taysom Hill will start the season on the club's physically unable to perform list, along with tight end Foster Moreau. Both veteran players are coming off reconstructive knee surgeries.
The quarterback decision came down to Rattler, a second-year pro out of South Carolina, and rookie Tyler Shough, a second-round draft choice out of Louisville.
“Worked my tail off to achieve this and now it’s here, and just ready to work with the guys and get this season going,” Rattler said. "This is something you work toward your whole life. ... It’s here now and I don’t want to waste it.”
Rattler and Shough each passed for one touchdown and threw one interception during three preseason games. Shough also rushed for a touchdown.
Rattler completed 69.8% of his passes and averaged 6.9 yards per completion. Shough completed 66.7% of his throws for an average of 6.2 yards per completion.
While those preseason numbers were close, Moore said Rattler's additional year of experience was evident in his consistency during both practice and games, as well as in his rapport with other offensive players.
“Obviously I’m super disappointed as a competitor but I’m ready to roll and support Spencer any way that I can,” Shough said. “I’m going to keep getting better, keep growing, keep learning and just kind of staying ready.”
Because of injuries to 2024 starter Derek Carr, who retired last offseason, Rattler started six times as a rookie. The Saints lost all six of those games en route to a 5-12 finish and fourth straight non-playoff season.
“Spence went through some challenging things last year,” Moore said. "And for him to come out of that a better player, but then, to be able to respond really, really well all offseason, I think was a tremendous testament to his work ethic and the way his mind works.
“He’s got an ability to kind of rebound from a challenge, an interception, a mistake, whatever it may be,” Moore said.
Shough, meanwhile, could benefit from more time to develop his game in a backup role, given his relative lack of experience, Moore said.
“I'm a big believer in just the importance of developing quarterbacks, developing them the right way,” Moore said. “Tyler's in a great position to continue to develop and we feel like we've got some depth in that (quarterback) room, which is really valuable for this league.”
“There’s a there’s a long list of quarterbacks who’ve had plenty of successful careers that got to be scout team quarterbacks for a certain amount of time and develop,” Moore added.
Moore also sought to pre-emptively shut down questions about how quickly Shough might be promoted if Rattler stumbles early this season.
“We’re not getting in this QB debate throughout the season,” Moore said. “Spencer is our starting quarterback. Tyler is going to keep developing.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Brett Martel, The Associated Press
