As the New Orleans Saints' starting quarterback competition between Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler is still ongoing, there is no doubt that a decision as to when someone will be announced is sooner rather than later. While it has been said that the Saints quarterback battle has been close, head coach Kellen Moore has provided more insight into when a decision will be made.
Speaking to the media on Monday afternoon, a few days removed from the preseason finale loss to the Denver Broncos, Moore would say that a decision is “pretty close” and will “happen soon.”
“Saints coach Kellen Moore: Talking through quarterback decision, pretty close,” John DeShazier wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “It'll happen soon.”
Moore would say earlier that there have been “healthy discussions” around the coaching staff about who to start between the rookie Shough and Rattler, according to ESPN.
“I think it's important that we collaborate and talk through this thing. That's an important aspect of this thing. Everyone's got their different perspectives and different exposures, and so that would be really, really important,” Moore said Saturday. “Ultimately, I know I have to make a decision, and it's a challenging one because these guys have put everything into this. They've been very, very close.”
“I'm not going to get into the voting ballots [like] ‘Big Brother' or something with ballots every week,” Moore continued. “It's been a great discussion. We've got the right guys in the room.”
Saints “feel great” about the quarterback room
As fans have been waiting to hear any updates about the Saints' starting quarterback decision, there's no denying that it'll be a decision that could showcase the possible future. With Shough being a second-round pick in the last NFL Draft, Rattler was selected in 2024 with their fifth-round pick, a group that New Orleans ‘feels great' about.
“We feel great about this group. We've invested and poured a lot into these guys,” Moore said. “These guys are young guys. They're going to keep growing each and every day, and we're excited to see where this thing goes for all of them.”
There has been a lot of hype around Shough heading into his first season as he comes out of Louisville. He would even say that he's done “enough” to name him the starter.
“What I put on tape continually throughout the ‘call it' periods, throughout the games, just kind of the steady growth on the operation. I feel like it has been enough. I feel like I'm fully capable to go out there and lead the charge,” Shough said. “Obviously, I don't make those decisions. I think the whole team, the whole offense has continually gotten better, but for me, I feel really comfortable going in week to week and excited to work on Arizona and see what we're going to do.”
At any rate, it remains to be seen who will be under center to start the season on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the Arizona Cardinals.
