The New Orleans Saints are making a change under center ahead of their Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Tyler Shough is being promoted to starter, while Spencer Rattler will move into the backup role.
Shough was a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Louisville. With such a high draft investment — which surprised many — there was speculation he could be the Week 1 starter. However, head coach Kellen Moore opted to open the season with Rattler under center. After eight games, the Saints are ready to make a change.
Here’s a look at the Saints’ quarterback depth chart as Shough takes over as the starter.
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Why was Spencer Rattler benched?
Rattler won the training camp quarterback battle over Shough, but given how he looked in 2024, it was always a question of how long he would last as the starter. To his credit, he looked better at times in 2025, but a 1-7 start to the season led Moore to pivot to the backup.
Rattler has completed 68% of his passes so far this season, throwing for 1,586 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. New Orleans isn’t statistically eliminated from playoff contention, but the eye test isn’t in its favor. Moore’s move could help the franchise evaluate what they have in Shough and determine whether they need to invest in a different starter in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Saints QB depth chart
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Tyler Shough |
| 2 | Spencer Rattler |
| 3 | Taysom Hill |
| 4 | Jake Haener - practice squad |
Tyler Shough
Shough will get his first career NFL start in Week 9 against the Rams. It will be a tough test for the second-round draft pick, but at least it isn't his first game action. Shough debuted on September 21 in a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks and didn't complete either of his two pass attempts in limited action.
Rattler was benched early in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When Shough took over, he completed 17 of 30 pass attempts for 128 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He ran the ball three times for 12 yards.
Moore announced that the expectation is for Shough to be the starter for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Saints HC Kellen Moore told reporters that the team plans to start rookie QB Tyler Shough for the remainder of the season. Pic.twitter.com/6JOQIOpBJm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 29, 2025
Spencer Rattler
Rattler won the Saints’ training camp battle and was named the starter for Week 1. He looked better in the early part of the season, but that didn’t translate to wins for New Orleans. Rattler's 1,586 passing yards rank 19th in the league, and he is tied for 22nd in passing touchdowns with eight. His QBR of 50.8 ranked 21st in the league at the time of his benching.
Luckily for Rattler, the only other quarterback on the main roster is Taysom Hill, who also plays running back and tight end. He should remain the backup.
Taysom Hill
Hill missed the start of the 2025 season due to a torn ACL suffered in December 2024. He finally debuted in Week 5 and has resumed his role as an offensive Swiss army knife. So far in the 2025 season, he has completed one pass for 19 yards, had 11 carries for two yards and a touchdown, and caught 3 passes for 18 yards.
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Where is Tyler Shough from?
Shough was born in Chandler, Arizona. He attended Hamilton High School but was not implicated in its 2017 hazing scandal. Shough was a four-star quarterback out of high school, and while he initially had a verbal commitment to North Carolina in 2017, he signed an early letter of intent with Oregon in December 2017.
Shough played for the Ducks for three seasons, including redshirting his freshman year, before transferring to Texas Tech. He spent three more seasons with the Red Raiders, including one in which he medically redshirted after breaking his collarbone, and used his COVID-19 eligibility to play a final season at Louisville in 2024.
MORE: Spencer Rattler addresses mid-game benching
Tyler Shough draft details
Shough was drafted with the 40th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was the third quarterback selected in the draft, after Cam Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants traded back into the first round to select Jaxson Dart. Shough was the only quarterback selected in the second round of the draft.
How to pronounce 'Shough'
Shough is pronounced "Shuck." It is pronounced the same way that someone would shuck corn, which means taking the husk off of it.
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