Saints' rookie QB Tyler Shough facing 'heavily dissected' immediate future

Billy Heyen

Saints' rookie QB Tyler Shough facing 'heavily dissected' immediate future image

Tyler Shough was the oldest quarterback chosen in the 2025 NFL Draft. He'll turn 26 before September ends.

But is he ready?

That's what the New Orleans Saints need to know, and frankly, they might find out sooner rather than later.

The Athletic's Larry Holder writes that training camp will be about a "heavily dissected" Shough, who is expected to win the starting job over Spencer Rattler.

"There’s really no other direction to turn for this topic for the Saints," Holder writes. "The team has no idea if the 2025 second-round pick will be the future at quarterback. Shough, who turns 26 in late September, will basically be handed the starting job, though, despite a competition with Spencer Rattler. Still, there’s no doubt every pass thrown by Shough in training camp and preseason games will be heavily dissected. He’s the only other QB from April’s draft who will likely start in Week 1 outside of the Titans’ Cam Ward. If Shough struggles during training camp, then what?"

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The Saints could be looking at a bridge year if Shough isn't good enough, but that'd be disappointing.

You don't want to spend a second-rounder on a quarterback and then give up after one year. But with the strength of next year's QB class, if the Saints are picking high, they'll have to consider doing just that.

The next month, and the season ahead, will be Shough's chance to prove this should be his job. New Orleans will be watching.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle