To say Tyler Shough is operating with less than a full arsenal is an understatement. The New Orleans Saints are without their WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4, WR5, RB1, RB2 and RB3 from the beginning of the year. If Shough makes this work against the Atlanta Falcons, he will be impossible to discredit.
Shough's late ascension mixed with Tetairoa McMillan's late season slump makes Shough winning Offensive Rookie of the Year a more likely outcome, but winning this game, under these circumstances, will make Shough's case undeniable.
Beyond the accolades, this is another opportunity to watch Shough attempt to elevate talent around him. He's shown an ability to do it, and now he'll have to do it out of pure necessity without Chris Olave being on the field.
Tyler Shough has succeeded in this position for the Saints before
The Saints are without every single wide receiver and running back that made the initial 53 man roster. Tyler Shough will be working with Juwan Johnson and a supporting cast that only Giants fans would advocate for. Players like Dante Pettis and Kevin Austin Jr. have shown up at moments, but they weren't expected to play a true role in the offense.
This is oddly reminiscent to when the Saints traded Rashid Shaheed and released Brandin Cooks. Those moves completely decimated the production in the wide receiver room. At least you had Olave to lean on at that time. When Shaheed and Cooks left the team, Olave was the only wide receiver with 10 catches. This was halfway through the season.
Shough didn’t miss a beat. Instead he succeeded in the face of adversity and proved himself to be a franchise quarterback. This is like that challenge but on steroids. There is no Olave to fall back on in the wide receiver room. Johnson and Alvin Kamara were the only other players with more than 10 catches at that point, and Kamara has been on the shelf for months.
When you look at the tools at Shough’s disposal in the season finale, Juwan Johnson is the only player thought to make an impact in 2025. The only other skill player who was active for the first and last game of the season was Moliki Matavao.
Taysom Hill was recovering from a season ending injury, and his effectiveness was an unknown. There was a chance and hope he'd be an impact player. At this point, we can confidently say Hill isn't who we hoped he'd be post-surgery.
Shough will without a doubt be operating with an arm behind his back, but that isn't abnormal from how this year has gone for the rookie. Whether it's injuries up front, at skill positions or players simply leaving the team, Shough has aced the tests he was faced. This is yet another challenge to monitor how he navigates.