Rattler, Shough or Haener? Here's what we know about the Saints' QB competition

METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints began OTAs past week with a uncommon sight: A backmost competition.

Second-year backmost Spencer Rattler and rookie backmost Tyler Shough were divided disconnected successful sections of the team's indoor signifier facility. On Thursday, Rattler worked with the first-team discourtesy and Shough with the second-team. Third-year backmost Jake Haener, who is dealing with an oblique strain, watched from the side.

Both quarterbacks had their highs and lows successful practice, with Shough's champion propulsion coming connected a heavy walk to wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. But they won't sanction a starting backmost coming retired of a signifier successful May -- the squad intends for that to travel later.

Saints manager Kellen Moore said each backmost got their crook with the first-team discourtesy successful Week 1 of OTAs past week, including Haener earlier his oblique injury. That rotation volition proceed passim the summer.

"I don't privation them to get into [a state] wherever they're ever looking astatine who's in, who's out," Moore said.

Because backmost Derek Carr retired connected May 10, the Saints' starting backmost spot is up for grabs for the 2nd clip successful the past 20-plus years. The different clip was erstwhile Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill competed to beryllium Drew Brees' successor aft Brees retired successful 2021.

While that contention featured 2 quarterbacks with respective years of NFL experience, this is caller territory for the Saints: 4 young players, 2 of whom person a combined 7 NFL starts and nary nonrecreational wins. Shough, Rattler and Haener, on with undrafted rookie escaped cause Hunter Dekkers, who the squad picked up connected May 13, volition walk their summertime trying to get 1 of the 2 (or three) spots successful the backmost room.

"It's been truly good. Yeah, it's been a batch of fun. I mean, we're each astir the aforesaid age, talk the aforesaid language," Shough said. "We've each been astir each other. So I deliberation that's been the amusive part, conscionable learning this discourtesy together, bouncing ideas disconnected of each different and competing."

This aboriginal successful the offseason, the Saints privation their quarterbacks -- each of whom are 26 oregon younger -- to grasp caller concepts, get successful a bushed moving the discourtesy and easiness into the thought of a contention with the constricted reps they're allowed connected the field.

It's what Saints violative coordinator Doug Nussmeier calls "the large representation view."

"What we effort and bash is commencement from a 30,000-foot presumption truthful to say, and we effort and conscionable proceed to bring it down and down and down," Nussmeier said. "You effort and commencement from the large representation and get them to recognize the large representation and the wherefore of however we privation to bash what we privation to do. 'OK, here's what we privation it to look like, here's the starting constituent and present we enactment done each and each measurement to get to wherever we privation to be.'"

Rattler went 0-6 arsenic a starter past twelvemonth from Weeks 6 to 8 and Weeks 15 to 17 portion Carr dealt with injuries. He mislaid his occupation temporarily to Haener and got it backmost aft Haener was pulled arsenic a starter pursuing 1 fractional of a crippled against the Washington Commanders successful Week 14.

"I deliberation past twelvemonth was not a mean situation, arsenic you guys know, walking into, but learned that I tin get done adversity, I could play astatine this level and felt bully astir it, privation to amended and physique connected that," Rattler said.

Moore said helium precocious told the squad that everyone has a "blank slate" going into this offseason. Whatever happened past twelvemonth doesn't substance anymore, helium said.

Does that mean that immoderate backmost could triumph the job? In reality, it's much complicated. The Saints selected Shough with their second-round pick, a motion they apt spot him arsenic their backmost of the future, if not this season, past soon.

The contention has mostly been painted arsenic a two-man contention betwixt Shough and Rattler, who was a fifth-round prime past twelvemonth and comes into this contention arsenic the astir experienced antheral successful the group.

Haener acknowledged that information past week but said helium wasn't bothered by it. He's already dealt with contention for the backup spot aft they drafted Rattler conscionable 1 twelvemonth aft Haener was taken successful the 4th circular of the 2023 draft.

"I've been the underdog astatine each stage, everyplace I've been, truthful it's thing caller to me. Just spell bash my thing," Haener said.

But each backmost has his ain hurdles to wide earlier the existent contention tin start. Shough, who played 7 years successful assemblage astatine Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville, said he's trying to nail down the verbiage and unlearn "five oregon six offenses," portion learning to beryllium speedy and concise successful and retired of the huddle.

Haener, who said helium has played successful "nine systems successful 7 years," not lone has to unlearn aged offenses arsenic well, but support gait successful a contention wherever he's already a measurement down owed to being sidelined for respective weeks with an injury.

Rattler said helium wants to amended disconnected a rookie play that saw his archetypal manager fired, the starting backmost injured and injuries astatine aggregate positions. He said helium already feels much assured than helium did astatine this constituent past year.

"I consciousness similar I've ever been beauteous confident, adjacent if it's up and down, you got to support that confidence, but I conjecture you could accidental I'm a small much comfy present going into twelvemonth two," Rattler said. "Obviously obscurity adjacent wherever I privation to be, but I consciousness bully close now."

But whether that assurance translates into a starting occupation for Rattler, Shough oregon Haener volition apt person to hold respective months, done grooming campy and aft the decision of the team's preseason games.

Right now, it's "big picture" clip for the young backmost room.

"You got to spell successful determination and operate. You got a sensation of that successful [rookie] mini camp. You got marque caller faces, the expectations, you got to spell retired determination and execute and I emotion it," Shough said. " ... It's really, truly chill to travel successful and operate. I consciousness a batch much prepared being benignant of an older rookie coming in, not being arsenic tense to make those relationships, but knowing that's my full occupation is to proceed to gain my relation and bash everything I can."