If there's one team that's been the most difficult to project for the 2025 season, it's the New Orleans Saints. On the one hand, the fact that they have a rookie head coach and a horrendous quarterback situation sort of puts the writing on the wall for this team. It's unlikely that they're going to be "good" in 2025.
But folks are expecting the Saints to be "#1 pick bad," and I'm just not sure that's going to be the case. A rough quarterback situation makes anything possible, but the rest of the Saints' roster has a bunch of high-priced veterans who have raised the floor of the team in the past.
Maybe this is the year where nothing works out for them.
Ultimately, the one thing the Saints definitely cannot hide from is their quarterback situation.
Saints might be regretting passing on Shedeur Sanders at this point
#Saints QB Jake Haener looks to be back with the first team again during the second day of pads.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) July 30, 2025
Rattler with the second and Shough with the threes.
At this point in training camp, most teams -- especially a team like the Saints -- are in the "installation phase" of their program. These reps are extremely valuable, and the longer the reps are split, the less likely guys down the depth chart are to make a jump up the depth chart.
It appears as though the Saints are going with a bit of a seniority approach with new head coach Kellen Moore, but to have a relatively high second-round pick buried at third on the depth chart, even this early on in camp, is a little off-putting and surprising.
A true competition will rotate guys, or change where guys are in the rotation each day.
At this point, it might feel like a bit of a hot take, but the Saints could be one of a number of teams that will end up regretting not drafting former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Maybe that wasn't a situation the rookie head coach wanted to deal with given how much attention and fanfare comes along with a player like Sanders, but he certainly could have provided a different glimmer of hope for the franchise.
At this point, a rookie who is going to be 26 years old this year stuck with the third team at training camp practice is not inspiring much confidence in anything for the Saints fan base, even for an evaluation year. At least if you're looking to get a clean evaluation at the position, you should be putting your biggest investment on the field.
It doesn't do the Saints any good next offseason if they haven't seen Tyler Shough play. Sticking him with the 3rd-team every day at training camp is not the move.