The New Orleans Saints enter this season with big question marks at the most crucial position.
They drafted Tyler Shough early in the 2025 NFL Draft in a move that raised plenty of controversy.
Now, it seems like one of the potential competitors for the starting quarterback job has suffered a major setback.
According to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jake Haener will miss some time with an oblique strain.
Saints QB Jake Haener, part of a three-way competition to become the team’s starting quarterback, suffered an oblique strain at the end of Wednesday’s practice and now is expected to miss “a couple of weeks”, per league sources. Haener likely will miss the remainder of OTAs, but… pic.twitter.com/nSVcMkImze
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 22, 2025
That puts him even further behind in the pecking order.
Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler will most likely battle out the position in the meantime.
Shough was one of the most notorious risers leading up to the NFL Draft.
His arm talent was remarkable, and scouts were left quite impressed with his physical traits.
Nevertheless, he’ll be 25 as a rookie, and his long and well-documented history of injuries will continue to be a reason for concern as long as he’s in the league.
The Saints hired offensive guru Kellen Moore to give him his first opportunity as a head coach, and as a former quarterback himself, he might be able to work his magic in the Big Easy.
Even so, the Saints are projected to finish the season with one of the worst records in the league.
And while we’ve seen crazier and more surprising things happen, it’s hard to envision this team being a legitimate contender in the NFC South Division next season, even if Haener were to be healthy and win the starting quarterback job.
NEXT: Kellen Moore Addresses Saints' QB Situation