Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
No decisions should be made regarding the New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback just yet, but it is good to have an idea of where the passers are through the first major portion of their offseason.
Both quarterbacks, Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough, have put together some strong performances through OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
Shough has shown flashes with his big-play potential and Rattler has shown his speed up clock, quick decision-making and aggressive style.
However, there have also been no 11-on-11, full-team drills through the five total practices that were open to the media. Training camp will be the real proving ground, but here’s a look at where things stand for now.
Keep in mind that angles during these camps can be challenging sometimes, so these are my numbers from what I was able to see and confirm in conversations with Saints personnel.
Spencer Rattler: 45/59 for six or seven touchdowns, one interception
Tyler Shough: 42/59 for four touchdowns, one interception, and a possible rushing touchdown
Hunter Dekkers: 2/4 and a touchdown
One of Rattler’s touchdown passes was a catch and run in red zone drills during OTAs, which are non-contact practices. So it was hard to say whether or not his target would have crossed the goal line before a tackle was made.
Similarly, the second-year passer may have seen one of his passes picked off by rookie safety Jonas Sanker and an impressive leaping interception. But it was unclear whether or not Sanker retained possession as he went to the ground.
You can find further details on each of the three passing days in our OTA observations from each practice.
- OTA Day 3 Observations
- OTA Day 5 Observations
- OTA Day 9 Observations
- Minicamp Day 1 Observations
- Minicamp Day 2 Observations
Next for the Saints, likely in mid to late July, will be training camp. Those practices will provide the most important environment for both passers along with the August preseason matchups.
During camp, expect to see more 11-on-11 drills and padded practices that will create more context around the signal callers’ play. While practices are always non-contact for quarterbacks, the energy changes across the team when the pass goes on and some of the run after catch elements become a bit more clear.
