Insider notes on Saints: Kellen Moore concerns, red flags on Spencer Rattler-Tyler Shough QB room, and more

The New Orleans Saints are under new management with head coach Kellen Moore taking the team into the future. But is all well after a season-opening loss? Here’s the latest on what veterans have been saying and what I’m hearing from league insiders about the franchise.

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The Saints were in a difficult spot even before the season began. Two valuable veterans on the offense, tackle Ryan Ramczyk and quarterback Derek Carr, announced their retirements in the offseason. Ramczyk’s decision wasn’t all that surprising, as there were rumors, some fueled by the player himself, that the end was near after he sat out all of 2024 with a knee injury suffered during the prior season. Carr’s choice was a bit more surprising, though the signal caller also retired due to injury after choosing not to have surgery on his ailing shoulder.

Despite a need at quarterback, the Saints chose an offensive tackle with the ninth pick of the draft, selecting Kelvin Banks of Texas. It marked the fifth time the franchise selected an offensive lineman in either the first or second round since 2019. The team came back around and selected a signal caller in Round 2, drafting Tyler Shough of Louisville. Shough battled Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round pick in 2024, in camp for the starting spot. Rattler eventually won the battle.

The Saints lost a close game to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 by a score of 20-13. It was a game where Rattler played reasonably well, completing 27 of 46 passes for 214 yards. Yet at this early stage of the game, are veterans or league insiders sold on the path forward chosen by the Saints? The majority of the answers have been a resounding “no”.

Veterans I’ve heard from tell me that they were shocked the Saints went into the season with no veteran quarterback on the depth chart and considered it a major red flag. Rattler is a second-year player who went 0-7 last season in games he started or played, while Shough is a rookie.

I’ve also been told the coaching and general organization of the team under Kellen Moore and his staff is not much better than in the past. Though some players liked former coach Dennis Allen, his message and style was stale and led to a seven-game losing streak starting in Week 3 last season. There’s a concern from veterans that Moore is not the type of coach to change the culture of the franchise, which is badly needed. As one league source told me, “As much as the Saints say they want change, they are set in their ways.”

Moving forward, people close to the team say the plan is to keep Rattler at quarterback and give him as much opportunity as possible until he proves incapable of handling the starting spot. There’s also the expectation that the new staff will force young players onto the field to see what they have, which means there will be plenty of healthy veteran scratches throughout the season to make way for the youngsters.

What was most surprising to me was the number of people who told me that the Saints are already playing for next April’s draft. All say that New Orleans will use that early pick, which could possibly be the top selection of the entire process, to acquire their quarterback of the future. The Saints selecting a quarterback early in the draft was not surprising, yet the consensus belief that the team is playing for the 2026 draft after just one week of the season was.

The oddsmakers seem to agree, as just about everyone rates the Saints as the team that will have the worst record in the league this season and the first pick of the 2026 NFL draft.