New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) runs a play during rookie minicamp at the indoor practice facility on Airline Drive in Metairie, La. Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune)
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
On the day the New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback announced his retirement, all eyes were on his potential successor Saturday afternoon in Metairie.
The Saints held their rookie minicamp Saturday at their Airline Drive facility, debuting quarterback Tyler Shough and the rest of their nine-member draft class. The light session lasted a little more than an hour, as the players ran through the basics in helmets and jerseys.
Here is some of what stood out about the newest members of the Saints organization.
### Shough looks the part
One short practice against fellow rookies and a handful of veteran tryout players is not nearly enough to say anything definitive about what Shough is going to be as a player, but the traits that made the Saints select him 40th overall certainly were on display.
Shough’s size immediately stands out — at 6-foot-5, he’s the tallest quarterback the Saints have had in a long time. New Orleans also put him on the move several times while the quarterbacks went through drills, and Shough’s athleticism showed there. Shough also has an easy throwing motion, and while he wasn’t asked to rip any deep passes, his arm talent was on display several times.
The only competitive drill the Saints did Saturday was a short seven-on-seven period. Shough completed his first seven attempts in that drill before veteran tryout defensive back Terrell Burgess broke up his final attempt over the middle, targeting rookie tight end Moliki Matavao.
His best throw of the day was a dart down the right sideline to tryout receiver Roderick Daniels Jr., which he fit between a couple converging defenders.
That is the stuff the Saints expected to see out of Shough, because it validated what they saw in the scouting process. But head coach Kellen Moore said he was more pleased with the non-physical things he saw out of Shough on Saturday.
"For these QBs, a lot of times what you care about is how they command the huddle, how they command the operation,” Moore said. “... He hopped in here and did an excellent job taking control of it."
Moore added after practice that he anticipates all three of his quarterbacks — Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener — will compete for the starting job, and he suggested that he was comfortable going into the season with the group he currently has.
Shough has a long way to go before he’s named the starter, but the first impression was a good one.
It’s not often that the second-round pick gets more attention than the first-rounder, but it’s not like there wasn’t some interesting things going on with No. 9 overall pick Kelvin Banks.
Banks started Saturday’s practice lining up at left tackle, which is where he played throughout his collegiate career at the University of Texas. But he shifted positions throughout practice, taking some snaps at right tackle and some at left guard.
This was part of the plan for Saturday’s rookie minicamp, Moore said, but he added that the Saints will “narrow that focus” as the season draws nearer.
New Orleans returned four starters from last year’s offensive line, including both tackles — 2024 first-rounder Taliese Fuaga and 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning. The only open position from last year’s starting five is left guard.
Some wondered going into the draft process whether Banks was a best fit at guard or tackle, and it seems the Saints are willing to let that decision play out this summer.
### Riley a DNP
The only member of the Saints draft class who did not participate Saturday was cornerback Quincy Riley, who watched the session from the sidelines in uniform.
Moore said after the practice that Riley had been dealing with a pre-existing injury that required surgery after the draft. Though Moore declined to say specifically what the injury was, he did say it was not related to an ankle injury Riley suffered in college and he suggested that it wasn’t serious.