What does Spencer Rattler have to do to win the Saints’ QB battle?

This has to be one of the most-watched New Orleans Saints preseason schedules in a long time. Not because they’re going to be good. Not because they have a flashy first-round pick at receiver or running back. But because they have a legitimate quarterback battle for the first time in a long time.

Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round sophomore who was drafted by the previous regime, and Tyler Shough, the 40th overall pick in the 2025 draft, who was handpicked by Kellen Moore, are in a tight battle with no clear leader heading into the final week of the preseason.

Rattler got an early lead in training camp. He was clearly the better quarterback through the first couple of weeks, but Shough began to find his footing once the Saints went to California. In their first preseason game against the Chargers, Rattler started, but it was Shough who had the more impressive outing. Next time out, Shough got the start, but it was Rattler who was the more impressive quarterback.

Through two preseason games, both quarterbacks have posted nearly identical stats, and with just one preseason game left, nobody knows who is going to be the Saints’ starting QB in week one.

Here’s how I view the QB battle with one week to go: It’s Tyler Shough’s job to lose.

This isn’t necessarily because I think Shough has been better than Rattler. In fact, there’s a strong case to be made that he’s objectively been worse. However, if it ends up being a 50/50 decision, Shough is getting the job in my opinion. Heck, if it’s 60/40 in favor of Rattler, Shough will probably still get the job.

I think that this hasn’t been a fair fight for Rattler since the beginning. He’s the “veteran” in the room and was picked by the old coaching staff. Shough is and always will be Kellen Moore’s preferred option. He’s the one who did the due diligence on him and made the call on draft night.

So what does Rattler need to do this Saturday against the Broncos to secure the job? He needs to play the best game of his career and hope that Shough struggles again. He needs to clearly be the better QB this week of practice and in the game if he wants to win the job. And even then, I’m not sure they give it to him.

Could I be wrong? Absolutely. But I fully believe that if there’s any doubt that Rattler isn’t the better option, Shough will win the job. And for the sake of the future of the franchise, I think it should be Shough’s job. They need to know what they have in their soon-to-be 26-year-old rookie before next year’s draft, when they’ll likely have a top-10 or top-5 pick and will be within range of a Garrett Nussmeier or any of the other top QBs.

Is it fair to Rattler? Absolutely not. But football’s a business, and the Saints know they’re not going to win this year, so unless they think Shough is years behind Rattler, I think Shough will get the job, especially if he can perform close to Rattler this Saturday.