It's been 5 years since the New Orleans Saints have made the playoffs. It's a dubious streak only matched this century by the 5 years before Sean Payton and Drew Brees came to town. The well known struggles at quarterback post-Brees are obviously the largest factor, and hopefully Tyler Shough is biggest catalyst to ending the drought.
Shough is coming off a strong but brief rookie season, and hopes are high for him in Year 2. Bleacher Report's Alex Kay gave realistic expectations for all second year quarterbacks, and his expectation for Shough is being a top-16 quarterback.
If Kay is right, the Saints will make the playoffs in 2026 for the first time since 2020. Shough being in the top half of starting quarterbacks in the NFL looks like taking the Saints offense "into the top half of the league and establish himself as one of the game's up-and-coming stars" in Kay's eyes.
Tyler Shough hitting the sophomore surge would send Saints to the playoffs
There's always the talks of a sophomore slump, but sometimes a quarterback is able to hit the sophomore surge. Just ask Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. We saw what their step forward meant for their team, and a step forward from Shough should carry the same benefit for the Saints.
As much as Shough jumping into the top-16 says about him as a player, it says just as much about the additions the Saints made this offseason. Shough proved himself last year and was rewarded with shiny new toys at running back, wide receiver and offensive line.
Travis Etienne, Jordyn Tyson and David Edwards all have potential to be impact players in New Orleans, and their impact directly impacts Shough. Etienne will give the Saints the balance to keep the defense off balance, but Tyson and Edwards will have the most obvious impact to Shough's ranking among his peers.
Edwards will be key to allowing Shough to have time to survey the field. It's something he frequently didn't have time to do. It created opportunities to show what he could do in the face of chaos, but the Saints should want Shough to do that as little as possible.
Tyson is going to elevate Shough's game when working in structure or when the play breaks down. Tyson is a strong route runner, but he also has shown a knack for success when it turns into backyard football. Tyson gives Shough another high ceiling weapon to throw the ball to.
If Shough is able to crack the top-16 quarterback, it'll be largely because he and the new additions helped elevate each other. It'll also mean the offense is close to their electric season we've predicted. That'll undoubtedly boost the team and should be enough for a playoff berth with the schedule the Saints have.
Add us as a preferred source on Google