The Saints’ backup quarterback battle is already drawing a clear favorite from the fan base.
In this week’s Saints reacts poll, readers were asked who they think will win the backup QB job, and 69% of voters picked third-year quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Rattler, 25, was drafted by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He heads into 2026 with a 1-13 record as a starter over the last two seasons. Last year, he lost the starting job to then-rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough midway through the Saints’ Week 8 loss to the Buccaneers.
Still, there’s a reason Rattler looks like the safest bet right now. This is his second full season working under Kellen Moore, and that familiarity with Moore’s offense gives him a built-in edge in the competition.
That said, Zach Wilson is far from a throwaway name in this race. The Saints brought him in during free agency, and Moore’s track record as an offensive mind - plus his own background as a former quarterback - makes Wilson an interesting wild card. Wilson was the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, but he never quite found his footing with the Jets and has spent the last two seasons with stops in Denver and Miami.
With Saints training camp now in its third day of practice, the quarterbacks are starting to get more work in both team and individual drills. That makes this one of the quieter battles worth watching as camp unfolds.
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An undrafted rookie wide receiver has started to draw attention at Saints training camp, and Brock Rechsteiner is the kind of player fans tend to latch onto this time of year. His path has already made him interesting: he began as a walk-on at Jacksonville State, then worked his way into a scholarship and a starting job, the sort of climb that usually earns a longer look once the pads come on and the roster battles get real.
For New Orleans, the task is simple but unforgiving. Rechsteiner has shown enough promising traits to keep himself in the conversation, but he is competing in a crowded receiver room where every rep matters and every practice can tilt the depth chart. The Saints are still sorting out who can stick, and his progress is one of the quieter camp stories worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Eye Next Star For Major Extension Deal
The Saints have spent the offseason showing exactly where their priorities lie: keep the core together, make the roster more stable, and give the rebuild some veteran anchors. Recent extensions for Cam Jordan, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave fit that approach, locking in proven pieces at three different spots and signaling that New Orleans is not treating the next phase of roster building like a tear-it-down exercise.
Chase Young now sits near the center of that conversation, too. After arriving as another piece with upside, he has a chance to play his way into the same long-term picture the Saints are trying to sketch out beyond 2024, and the possibility of an extension after the season is part of the reason his year matters so much. For a team trying to balance present competitiveness with future planning, these are the kinds of decisions that can quietly shape the next few seasons. [Read more 🡒]
