The New Orleans Saints have a big decision to make.
With Derek Carr surprisingly retiring before the start of the season, they now have to roll with a young quarterback.
Notably, Spencer Rattler hasn’t looked good in his brief time in the league, and while he can still turn out to be solid, he just doesn’t look ready.
For NFL analyst Greg Cosell, however, that wasn’t the case with Tyler Shough.
Talking on the Ross Tucker Podcast, Cosell had nothing but positive things to say about the Louisville product.
“I hate to be cliched, but he took the throws that ‘the defense gave him’ that were clean throws,” Cosell said.
“I hate to be cliched, but he took the throws that ‘the defense gave him’ that were clean throws.”@GregCosell was impressed with Tyler Shough’s Saints preseason debut: pic.twitter.com/afROPi4QRP
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) August 17, 2025
Shough will get a chance to start in Sunday’s preseason game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He’s competing with Rattler for the starting quarterback job, and while the sample size is quite small, he looked much better in his first taste of NFL action.
Rattler played most of the first half of the preseason opener vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, and he completed 7 of 11 passes for 53 yards.
Shough took the field for the final two minutes of the first half and played most of the second half.
He completed 15 of 22 passes for 165 yards with one passing touchdown and a pick-six.
The Saints are projected to be one of the worst teams in the league last season, and they’re more than just one quarterback away from turning that narrative around.
Even so, and while Shough was a polarizing prospect because of his age and history of injuries, he may give this team a better chance to compete than Rattler, at least for the time being.
NEXT: Chad Johnson Raises Big Question To Saints Fans About QB Situation