Tyler Shough has given the Saints plenty to feel better about, but Pete Thamel still sees New Orleans as a team that has to shop the quarterback market.
Thamel laid out 10 teams he believes will put a premium on scouting first-round quarterbacks because they have an immediate need at the position, and the Saints were on the list. He also included the Browns, Dolphins, Cardinals, Vikings, Colts, Steelers, Jets, Falcons and Seahawks. Thamel said the Seahawks made the cut because of Darnold’s age and contract, while the rest were grouped in for performance reasons.
That’s where the Saints inclusion starts to feel off. Most of the other teams in that group are easy to understand.
Several are dealing with quarterback uncertainty right now, while others are staring at bigger questions that extend into 2027. New Orleans doesn’t really fit that profile.
Shough, after all, has not looked like a quarterback who has pushed the Saints into panic mode. There’s still room for caution, and it’s fair to want more than 10 starts before declaring the job settled. But those 10 starts were enough for Thamel to essentially treat the Saints as if they were still searching for a solution.
The draft slot seems to be doing a lot of the work here. If Shough had been a first-round pick, this probably wouldn’t be framed the same way. There was skepticism around him when he entered the league, and once that kind of doubt is in place, it can be hard to shake.
But the actual on-field evidence points in a different direction. What about his 10 games says the Saints have to keep looking immediately?
Shough finished as the runner-up in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race. In his second season, he responded to a shaky first half by coming back and ending the game with the most passing yards in the league, plus several throws that stood out.
Thamel also listed another tier of teams that could still wind up in the quarterback market depending on how the season unfolds. That group included the Ravens, Titans, Panthers, Texans and Eagles.
That second group feels closer to New Orleans than the first. The teams in the first category are more likely than not headed for a new starter next year. The second group could go either way, but probably keeps its current quarterback.
So while it’s fair to have questions about Shough, saying the Saints have an immediate need at quarterback doesn’t line up well with what’s happened so far. The signs point to Shough moving New Orleans out of that kind of conversation. And if there really are 5-6 first-round quarterback talents available while this many teams are hunting, that could end up helping the Saints down the road.
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The biggest question remains the outside pass rush, a spot that has been a sore point and will likely shape how the front office thinks about the first round. Cam Jordans return could change the feel of that group, but it does not erase the need for more impact off the edge or close the book on how the Saints want to build around him. For now, the draft picture is only a projection, but it already hints at a decision New Orleans may not enjoy having to make when the board starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Suddenly Have A Week 1 QB Issue And A Bijan Dilemma
Tyler Shoughs first real introduction to the Saints came long before he ever took a snap, and the rookie quarterback said the draft process in New Orleans offered its own little test of how he handled the moment. He described a delayed flight and the kind of communication wrinkle that can make a long night feel even longer, while the Saints kept him in the loop as they worked through the selection process. It was the sort of behind-the-scenes detail that says plenty about how a team evaluates a quarterback before it ever gets to the film.
For New Orleans, that matters because Shough is still trying to establish himself in a room where every rep and every decision gets watched closely. The Saints have made a point of building a clear draft communication strategy, and Shoughs recollection shows how much of the evaluation can happen away from the field, in the way a player responds when plans change and the clock keeps moving. It is an early reminder that his path with the Saints is about more than just arm talent, and that the organization was looking for signs of leadership from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Enter Week 2 With Tyler Shough Suddenly Under The Spotlight
The Saints left their opener with the kind of result that can sting and encourage at the same time, a narrow overtime loss to the Lions that still showed a team willing to fight through a long afternoon. Tyler Shoughs debut had its rough patches, but it also had real flashes, and the bigger takeaway for New Orleans was that the offense had enough juice to keep answering after a rocky start.
Shoughs 400-yard day has already pushed him into a brighter spotlight, especially with several media outlets nudging the Saints upward in their power rankings after seeing how competitive they were. The question now is less about whether New Orleans can be frisky and more about how quickly Shough can turn the good stretches into a more complete performance as the season moves into Week 2. [Read more 🡒]