New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough is determined to make the most of his NFL opportunity. A little guidance from a franchise icon couldn’t hurt along the way. According to Saints Wire’s Crissy Froyd, Shough reached out to Drew Brees shortly after being drafted, and the future Hall of Famer responded almost immediately.
“He reached out to me as soon as I got drafted, and he just kind of said, ‘Hey, if I can help out in any way, let me know’ and I thought that was really nice,” Shough told Froyd. Shough has made it clear that he plans to talk to Brees more often to learn about prepartion and developing a consistent routine.
A Winding Road to New Orleans
Shough’s journey to the Saints wasn’t straightforward. After beginning his college career at Oregon, he transferred to Texas Tech and then Louisville. Despite battling injuries and changing systems, he flashed enough talent to warrant a second-round selection by New Orleans in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Scouts praised his arm strength, mobility, and leadership, even though his college career was inconsistent. The Saints saw potential in his physical tools and mental resilience.
Early Reps with the First Team
That belief in Shough has already translated into opportunity. During the second day of training camp, Shough took first-team reps at quarterback. Shough rotated in with the starters ahead of second-year signal callers Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.
ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reported that Shough was solid, if not yet spectacular. Head coach Dennis Allen emphasized that the reps are part of a larger evaluation process. “There were mistakes to go around,” Terrell wrote. “Shough had to throw away a few passes in the end zone but finished with a touchdown to Rashid Shaheed.”
Even with mixed results, Shough getting early work with the ones suggests that the Saints want to see what he can do under pressure. It also reflects a wide-open competition for the starting quarterback spot.
Focused on Growth
Saints head coach Kellen Moore has said repeatedly that no quarterback has jumped ahead of the others at this point. Him rotating the three over the first three days of camp further serves to illustrate that belief.
“It’s a training-camp process,” Moore said. You’re going to have ups. You’re going to have downs. You just have to focus in on your task at hand.”
Rattler has the most playing time of the QBs, going 0-6 in six starts last season. Haener appeared in eight games, making one start (0-1).
Rather than getting caught up in the competition, Shough is staying grounded, knowing his biggest battle will be against himself. “I’m not where I want to be at all, but I think that a good thing,” he told reporters this week. ” I think we have a lot more ways to go, and that’s the part I think Kellen and his staff do a really good job with.”
A Real Chance to Climb the Depth Chart
The Saints have made it clear that the quarterback depth chart is fluid. The team is giving each of its young quarterbacks a fair opportunity to earn playing time. For Shough, that means capitalizing on every snap at practice. He’s got a long way to go, but Tyler Shough is already making a strong first impression. And with Drew Brees offering encouragement from afar, the rookie’s development is worth watching closely as the Saints’ quarterback battle unfolds.
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