Ever since Demario Davis signed a three-year deal with the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 offseason, the veteran linebacker has been a team captain and one of the most well-respected members of the franchise. Naturally, what the five-time All-Pro says carries a whole lot of weight in the Saints locker room, so that makes what Davis recently had to say about rookie quarterback Tyler Shough very interesting.
After Tyler Shough’s impressive, but not flawless showing in his preseason debut last weekend, Demario Davis commented on the highs — a 54-yard touchdown pass to Mason Tipton — and the lows — a 43-yard pick six one series earlier — of the rookie’s performance during an appearance on Good Morning Football.
“I think there is no greater representation of New Orleans than what just happened and what we just saw in that five, 10 seconds,” Davis said on August 12, likely referencing the 20-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. “Think about adversity. What’s the worst thing you can do as a quarterback? Throw a pick six. And in his first preseason game, he comes back the next drive and throws a bomb for a TD? Like, that’s ultimate resiliency. That’s ultimate facing adversity and staring it right in the eye and not blinking. That’s incredible.”
Shough finished the game having completed 15 of his 22 attempts for 165 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He got the most reps of all three of the Saints signal-callers competing for the QB1 spot on the depth chart. Spencer Rattler received the start, and finished 7-for-11 for 53 yards, adding 22 more yards on the ground. Jake Haener, who is considered by most a distant third option in the competition, went 5-for-8 for 41 yards with an interception.
Kellen Moore, Saints ‘Close’ to Naming Starting Quarterback
The Saints will take the field for their second preseason game of the summer this Sunday afternoon when the Jacksonville Jaguars march into New Orleans. How things shake out in this preseason tilt were expected to play a major role in who eventually will be named the starter in New Orleans ahead of the beginning of the regular season, and based on what Saints head coach Kellen Moore said on the Up and Adams Show on August 13, that decision may come soon.
“We’re close,” Moore told Kay Adams after she asked who the Saints starting quarterback would be. “Obviously each and every day you continue to build, and we’ll just keep rotating these guys and giving these guys different opportunities.”
From there, Adams pressed Moore on whether the results of the next preseason outing would end up revealing who would earn the starting job, and although the first-year head coach didn’t say it directly, it does sound as if the Saints hope to have their answer not too long after their game against the Jaguars wraps up.
“We’re still in competition mode,” Moore explained. “But once we pick our guy, we’re rallying behind this guy and we’re rolling.”
Will Tyler Shough be the Quarterback the Saints Rally Behind?
Among all ten quarterbacks who were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft who saw playing time in the opening week of the preseason, it was Shough who threw for the most yards. This does not by any means indicate he’s the best of the bunch or the closest to being NFL ready, but the fact that Shough, who some considered a developmental prospect coming out of Louisville, received as much work as he did and made the most of it is a good sign.
But more so than the numbers, it’s Demario Davis’ comments that are the greatest endorsement for Shough’s NFL future, both in the short-term and long-term. Having a short memory is one of the qualities that is often assigned to the best QB’s in the game, and in two series of work, Shough displayed he may have that.
When the lights are brighter and the stakes are higher in the regular season, it may end up being a different story. But for now, any adversity that Shough has faced in New Orleans, he’s stared it right in the eye and he hasn’t blinked yet.
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