Of the three top quarterbacks on the New Orleans Saints roster, Spencer Rattler is the most experienced. Although Jake Haener was drafted a year before him, it’s Rattler with the most starts, appearing in seven games last season, starting six. However, since the Saints used a second-round pick on Tyler Shough, the expectation is that New Orleans will have a quarterback battle in training camp.
Unfortunately for Rattler, not many experts believe he will be able to hold off the rookie quarterback. In a recent ESPN piece by Ben Solak, the analyst asked big questions for seven second-year quarterbacks. The big question for Rattler was is he really a factor in the Saints’ QB competition. Solak doesn’t think he is.
ESPN doesn’t believe Spencer Rattler is a factor in the Saints’ QB competition
While Rattler is still a young, unfinished product, and relatively inexperienced, despite the action he saw as a rookie, Solak is using Rattler’s performance in those games to make this assessment. The ESPN writer argued that New Orleans’ new staff is prepared to move forward with the guy they picked, Shough, and that Rattler is ultimately a backup in the league.
"I remain extremely dubious that the quarterback "battle" in New Orleans is a true competition. A new coaching staff helped select rookie Tyler Shough with the No. 40 pick, far earlier than Rattler was chosen (150th) a year ago. And although Rattler flexed his arm talent at moments, he largely struggled to avoid turnovers and sacks, throwing more interceptions (5) than touchdown passes (4). It's worth noting that Rattler's starts came with both Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed absent from the lineup -- his leading targets were tight end Juwan Johnson, running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Dante Pettis. But Rattler's play read more to me as "career journeyman backup" than "viable starter." I wager we see him start this year only if Shough struggles mightily or misses time with injury."Ben Solak (ESPN)
Solak pointed out that Rattler was working with less than ideal circumstances during his outings last season. The majority of the Saints’ starting offense was unhealthy, and the rookie was still asked to make something happen. At times, he did, but he also had the kind of lows one would expect from a rookie quarterback in a bad situation. Either way, Rattler has shown enough to be a factor in a fair quarterback competition.
In the end, that’s all he can ask for, a fair shot. If the Saints are truly going to roll the ball out and let the best man win, there’s no reason to think Spencer Rattler can’t compete with Tyler Shough.