The New Orleans Saints will start second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 after a position battle with Tyler Shough, another Arizona high school product.
First-year coach Kellen Moore named Rattler, who went to Phoenix’s Pinnacle High School, the starter on Tuesday.
“Really, really excited for him,” Moore told reporters. “He’s done an awesome job this offseason. He’s just been consistent. He’s made some really good decisions throughout this whole entire process. His ability to make plays with his arm and his feet have certainly showed up. … He’s earned this opportunity.”
Rattler, who played collegiately at Oklahoma and then South Carolina, went 0-7 as a starter last season after he was picked in the fifth round by New Orleans.
RELATED STORIES
Derek Carr retires, leaving Valley's Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough battling to be Saints' QB1
He completed 57% of his passes for 1,317 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing 18 times for 146 yards.
Shough went to Chandler’s Hamilton High School before playing in college at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville. He was a second-round pick in this year’s draft.
“We’re really, really fortunate we got Tyler,” Moore said. “Love the development he’s had over the entire course of this offseason. He’s done a number of things for the first time his career … I thought he capped it off with an excellent performance against Denver on the last preseason game. I thought he did a really, really good job.
“I’m a big believer in just the importance of developing quarterbacks, developing them the right way. There’s a process for both of these guys, give them the space to develop. We think we got two guys that are going to have great careers for us.”
That sentiment appears to be shared with Moore and Shough’s agent, Erik Burkhardt.
Tyler Shough's agent: t.co/WeMtR4PYQw
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) August 26, 2025
Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough’s preseason quarterback battle with the Saints
The duo of former Arizona prep stars had the door opened wide for a starting opportunity with the retirement of veteran quarterback Derek Carr in the offseason.
The competing QBs had similar runs in the lead-up to the regular season, with Shough edging Rattler in passing reps (54 attempts to 43) but not being quite as efficient through the air with a 66.7% completion rate to Rattler’s 69.8%.
Shough got the majority of playing time in New Orleans’ first and third preseason games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos, whereas Rattler tossed more than half of his total passes (24 of 43) against the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense.
Each QB threw a touchdown and an interception, while Rattler had a bit more explosiveness with 6.9 yards per pass to Shough’s 6.2.
On the ground, Rattler rushed seven times across three games for 41 yards and Shough carried three times for 23 yards.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Follow @kzimmermanaz
Hence then, the article about saints name arizona high school product spencer rattler starter to face cardinals was published today ( ) and is available on Arizona sports ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Saints name Arizona high school product Spencer Rattler starter to face Cardinals )
Also on site :