PHOENIX — The New Orleans Saints won’t be holding a starting quarterback competition this summer, but there will still be a battle for the backup spot.
After signing Zach Wilson last week, coach Kellen Moore confirmed Tuesday that the Saints’ newest addition to the quarterback room will compete with Spencer Rattler to be the No. 2 behind starter Tyler Shough.
“Our job is always to make those environments as competitive as possible,” Moore said. “We feel good about watching Zach over the time of his journey. (I’ve) followed him, evaluated him a number of times now, and so I felt like the opportunity was right.”
The Saints wanted to add another quarterback because they had only two on the roster, Moore said. Third-stringer Jake Haener departed for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason and fourth-stringer Hunter Dekkers joined the United Football League. Rattler, too, has been subject to trade rumors, though the Saints feel no urge to part ways with their former starter.
Wilson has experienced a whirlwind since entering the NFL as the second overall pick in 2021. He went from a high-profile prospect to flaming out with the New York Jets before serving as a backup with the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. Though he’s around the same age as Shough and Rattler, Wilson has considerably more starting experience with 33 starts.
Wilson said last week that he signed with the Saints to learn under Moore, a former quarterback turned coach. The 26-year-old has seen quarterbacks such as Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield turn their careers around after rocky starts, and he hopes to follow a similar path.
Moore said he believes a “healthy environment” in New Orleans can benefit Wilson.
“You do some homework on it, you evaluate everything,” Moore said, later adding, “Zach went through a lot early in New York. … His experience going to Denver (in 2024) was a really healthy situation. That preseason film in Denver was really, really good. Obviously, we have ties and know what that operation looked like for him and we can provide an opportunity for him to just get better as a quarterback.”