Spencer Rattler may have done enough Friday to tilt the Saints’ backup quarterback race in his favor.
After two preseason outings that left him with plenty to answer for, Rattler came through in New Orleans’ Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys with the kind of steady showing that coaches tend to value behind a starter. He finished 8/10 for 79 yards and a rushing touchdown, and he did it without forcing the issue. The Saints scored on three of his four possessions, and he looked in control from start to finish.
That mattered because the competition with Zach Wilson had been tight all offseason. Heading into this game, it felt like Rattler was the one losing momentum after back-to-back underwhelming performances. Instead, he answered with his strongest preseason effort and quieted a lot of the noise around the battle.
Wilson, to his credit, also put together a solid night. The former second-overall pick threw for a team-high 93 yards and led a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.
On the surface, the numbers for both quarterbacks were fairly close. But the offense bogged down under Wilson in the second half and wasn’t as sharp as it was early.
Rattler’s case is a little different from a starter’s. He doesn’t need to be the guy making jaw-dropping throws or dragging the whole operation to victory.
For a backup, the job is about staying composed, avoiding mistakes, and keeping the offense on schedule when called upon. That’s exactly what he did against Dallas.
There weren’t any flashy highlights in Rattler’s performance, and the box score won’t jump off the page. Still, he protected the ball, took what the defense gave him, and handled the pressure that had built up over the first two preseason games. That kind of poise is what can separate one quarterback from another in a race like this.
Even if Rattler has effectively won the job, Wilson may still not be a true candidate for the initial 53-man roster. Because he’s a veteran, the Saints could also release him with an understanding that he’ll return, avoiding the risk of him going through waivers. Either way, there’s a strong chance New Orleans carries three quarterbacks this season.
The battle isn’t completely settled, but with no preseason games left, it would take a huge push from Wilson or an injury to Rattler to change the current picture.
In Other News...
Saints Backfield Suddenly Has A New Reason For Optimism
Within days of arriving in New Orleans, Zamir White was already part of the conversation in the Saints backfield. The running back came over from the San Francisco 49ers in a player-for-player trade and got on the field quickly enough to make an impression in the Saints final preseason game, a 27-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys. With injuries thinning out the room, the team needed signs that the ground game could still hold together, and White offered one right away.
He needed only his second carry in a Saints uniform to find the end zone, breaking off an 11-yard touchdown that added a little more life to a rushing attack that had been searching for stability. The performance came with contributions from several backs, which is exactly the kind of depth New Orleans has been trying to build while navigating the injury issues around it. For a unit that entered the preseason with questions, Whites fast start gave the Saints a reason to feel better about what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Cutdown Fallout Starts With One Receiver Saints Fans Just Saw
The Cowboys 27-24 preseason loss to the Saints also pushed their roster decisions into sharper focus, and rookie wide receiver Jordan Hudson is one of the first names drawing attention. Hudson had only limited production in exhibition play, and with cutdown time arriving soon, his path to the 53-man roster looks narrow after a summer spent trying to carve out a role.
What comes next for Hudson remains the real question. He could still land on a practice squad, either in Dallas or elsewhere, or choose to take advantage of the transfer option that would allow him to return to college football for another season. For Saints fans who just saw him across the field, he may end up being one of those preseason names worth remembering even after the roster math is done. [Read more 🡒]
Saints End Preseason With Two Roster Questions Suddenly Worth Watching
The Saints closed the preseason with a 27-24 win over the Cowboys, and the result came with the kind of late-August details coaches like to see: multiple rushing touchdowns, two field goals from Daniel Carlson and enough productivity on both sides of the ball to make the final tune-up feel worthwhile. It was the sort of game that offered a glimpse of depth rather than a clean answer, with Zach Wilson and Spencer Rattler both among the notable contributors as New Orleans sorted through its final evaluations.
Now the attention shifts from the scoreboard to the roster, where a couple of position battles have become suddenly more interesting after the way the preseason wrapped. The Saints still have decisions to make before the regular season arrives, and the encouraging part is that several players gave the staff something to think about in a game that mattered more for standing than for style. [Read more 🡒]