The Saints still aren’t sure who will be their starting quarterback with Week 1 fast approaching.
New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore said the competition between Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough was “really, really close” and that he wasn’t ready to make a final decision on the QB1 spot when speaking with reporters on Tuesday, though he did give a bit of a timeline.
“We play Arizona on that Sunday, so hopefully before that,” Moore said of the decision. “So something between today and that day.”
Moore took a second to joke about the positional battle, which is the last quarterback competition after Daniel Jones and Joe Flacco were named starters for the Colts and Browns, respectively, over the past couple of days.
“There’s a lot of people who like to ask about the quarterbacks, my kids included,” Moore said. “It’s a fun conversation. They have advice on everything. Every bad decision, every throw, every play call. They’ve got it all.”
Both quarterbacks have taken the field during the Saints’ first two preseason games.
On Sunday against the Jaguars, Shough got the start, going 9-of-12 for 66 yards through the air.
But it was Rattler who led the Saints back from a 17-3 deficit late in the game, going 18-of-24 for 199 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
In the Saints’ first preseason game against the Chargers, it was Shough who outplayed Rattler, who got the start in that contest.
Rattler finished 7-of-11 passing for 53 yards, while Shough went 15-of-22 for 165 yards and one touchdown, although he threw a pick-six interception.
The battle between Rattler and Shough comes after Saints quarterback Derek Carr surpisingly retired from the NFL rather than undergo shoulder surgery.