Saints Audric Estimé gives high praise for rookie Tyler Shough

Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

By Ross Jackson

The New Orleans Saints are going into the 2026 season with only one question at quarterback: how good can Tyler Shough be? After an impressive rookie campaign, hopes are high for the Saints’ passer and his future with the team. That excitement isn’t just for fans, though. Players inside the locker room are equally fired up about the potential ahead of them.

One of those players, running back Audric Estimé, has seen this before. Estimé, now having just completed his second NFL season, was with the Denver Broncos last year. During that time, he saw then-rookie quarterback Bo Nix take the reins in Denver.

Nix, an older rookie quarterback prospect that spent time with multiple schools, has some things in common with Shough. Not the least of which being the promise both players created for their franchises coming out of their inaugural years. That’s something that Estimé can speak to from experience.

“I definitely see some similarities with the maturity they have,” Estimé told LouisianaSports.Net after the season finale game against the Atlanta Falcons. “They both came in as rookies and controlled the offense like they’ve been in the league for five years, like they’re vets. I’m just excited to see what Tyler does.”

In Nix’s first season, the Broncos went to the playoffs with the help of an elite defense. In the second year, the quarterback and that defense are now the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC.

Shough has given a spark to the Saints’ offense and team, accompanied by a remarkable performance by the defense on the other side of the ball. The two are now about to head into a second season to try to build on the momentum they captured together in the closing stretch of the 2025 season.

If Shough and the Saints can have a similar trajectory to Nix and the Broncos, it’s hard to see why New Orleans would be disappointed by that. Estimé sees a lot of reasons to be excited about Shough and the Saints, a potential he’d like to help realize with them.

“Yeah, Tyler’s a dawg, man,” he said. “I’m just excited to play with him, hopefully for the rest of my career. Seeing what he did as a rookie, jumping in the season mid-year, and carrying it. What we did is exciting for the future.”