When news broke that Derek Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury that could force him to miss the 2025 season, everyone understood his time with the New Orleans Saints was just about finished. However, Carr surprised everyone with his decision to retire because of the injury, saying goodbye to the NFL as a whole.
As he starts his next chapter, the Saints will move into a new era at the quarterback position. While New Orleans will have a competition between three young quarterback all in their first three years, the expectation is that the Saints will ultimately start 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough. With that in mind, Shough is already being compared to the league’s other starters, and it’s not a favorable comparison.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently ranked all 32 projected starting quarterbacks, factoring in recent results, current status, and outlook. In the end, Shough was at the bottom of the list at No. 32.
Tyler Shough ranked as the worst projected starting quarterback in the NFL
This wasn’t a situation of all the rookies being thrown at the bottom because they haven’t played a snap yet— Cam Ward was ranked No. 25, one spot ahead of Bryce Young —Benjamin just seemingly isn’t high on Shough in year one. He didn’t explain why the 40th-overall pick was ranked last, but that’s where the rookie will start his career in this particular ranking.
Quarterback rankings aside, Shough was a polarizing quarterback prospect all throughout the draft process. He has great size at 6-foot-5, 219 pounds, and a strong arm, but he also had multiple season-ending injuries in college, and will be 26 years old in September. However, there isn’t a prospect that doesn’t have a few questions or concerns.
Ultimately, Shough must prove everything on the field, and he’ll have the opportunity to do that. If he can beat out Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, he’ll be the Week 1 starter, and will be able to immediately show how he compares to other quarterbacks.