Kellen Moore waited through a multi-month evaluation to name the New Orleans Saints' starting quarterback, choosing Spencer Rattler over rookie Tyler Shough. Rattler, the 2024 fifth-round pick, showed growth after a difficult rookie year in which he filled in for Derek Carr, was sacked 22 times behind an injured offensive line, and experienced a midseason coaching change. Moore praised Rattler's ability to rebound from mistakes, his offseason response, work ethic and mental resilience. Carr's surprising May retirement with a lingering shoulder issue initiated the search for a new signal-caller.
Kellen Moore wasn't kidding when he said at the start of training camp that he would wait as long as it took to choose a starting quarterback. After drafting Tyler Shough with the No. 40 overall pick, the Saints took three and a half months to make a decision between him and second-year QB Spencer Rattler. "We used the whole process, obviously as everyone has felt," Moore said on Tuesday. "I think that was an important part for these young guys."
Moore looked pleased when he announced that Rattler had won the starting job. He said he liked Rattler's growth after a challenging rookie season. While filling in for an injured Derek Carr in two separate stints, the 2024 fifth-round pick was sacked 22 times behind an injured offensive line and saw then-coach Dennis Allen get fired midway through last season.
"Experience is very, very valuable and Spence went through some challenging things last year, and for him to come out of that a better player, but then to be able to respond really, really well all offseason, I think was a tremendous testament to his work ethic and the way his mind works," Moore said. "He's got [the] ability to kind of rebound from a challenge, an interception, a mistake, whatever it may be. That's one of the things that makes Spence great. You see his ability to just keep playing his game, keep trusting himself, keep delivering, and he's going to do that for us throughout the season."
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