We’ve seen the New Orleans Saints make a quarterback change, but will it stick? Head coach Kellen Moore stopped short of naming Tyler Shough his starter in next week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams after Shough replaced Spencer Rattler in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But that doesn’t mean it won’t be Shough taking first-team reps in practice this week and preparing to start in L.A. To put it another way, the changes on offense may not lie just at quarterback.
“We’ve got to evaluate this whole thing in the next 48 hours on offense,” Moore told reporters after the game. “Find the solutions that may give us the best chance to win. Tyler went in there and looked the part, he made some plays, the one interception was unfortunate, gave us a chance to convert there. We’ll obviously make that evaluation here quickly and make the decision moving forward.”
Trade rumors have swirled around the Saints receiving corps; the team hasn’t received any serious offers for Chris Olave, but his running-mate Rashid Shaheed and their veteran mentor Brandin Cooks have each drawn credible interest. Moving one of them would open more reps in the rotation for Devaughn Vele, who the Saints traded for late in the preseason, and who hasn’t seen enough catchable passes thrown his way through eight weeks.
Still, quarterback remains the game’s most important position. Shough was put in a difficult situation, down multiple scores, and asked to throw 30 times across the Saints’ final four drives. Rattler was benched after turning the ball over six times in six quarters, a point when he was hurting the rest of the offense. Hopefully Shough can better protect the football and find a spark before this season goes fully out of reach.a
