Predicting Which QB New Orleans Saints Will Start vs Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have just 19 days (including today) until they kick off the year in the Big Easy to play the New Orleans Saints. Arizona is favored to win the game, and a (likely) big reason why is because the Saints don’t know who their starting quarterback will be.

Saints head coachKellen Moore said as much this week to reporters:

“It’s really, really close — numbers, experiences, reps, everything — it’s going all the way back to the start of training camp. Everything is very, very close between this group. We’ll see how it all plays out.”

But until they declare their starter, which Moore joked they hope to name their guy before Week 1, the Cardinals need to prepare for anything and everything.

Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) during the warmups at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

As of now, the Saints quarterback depth chart, per ESPN, is as follows:
1. Spencer Rattler
2. Tyler Shough
3. Jake Haener

Rattler, a Valley native, was a fifth-round pick a year ago. He started six of seven games played, throwing for 1,317 yards with four touchdowns against five interceptions, completing 57.0% of his passes.

Rattler also logged 146 rushing yards on 18 carries. Far from a great pro debut, but it could’ve been much worse given the circumstances, as No.1 receiver Chris Olave played just one game (vs Tampa Bay) and had a single catch.

I’m not one for crafting excuses for guys, but there are exceptions; this is definitely one of them.

It’s noteworthy the Saints bypassed trading up for Jaxson Dart in round one, a move they were speculated to make, as well as Shedeur Sanders, Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers — who are all notable names who would generate major hype.

They did take Shough as the third quarterback off the board, but he hasn’t turned the team into a circus of sorts. Still, Shough has been rumored to be the starting quarterback for the team for some time.

As for Haener, it certainly appears he is on the outside looking in.

Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) throws against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

So, what direction will the Saints go?

For my money’s worth, I feel confident they start Shough out the gate to get an idea of how the rookie will look. The 2026 NFL Draft is loaded with quarterbacks, including potentially Arch Manning after recent reports questioning his grandfather’s takes. That means getting their homework done sooner rather than later is vital.

Of course, that’s provided the team is already punting on the season. If they aren’t and want to try and compete, then rolling with Rattler makes sense, considering he has live action under his belt and did show some promise.

At the end of the day, this decision hinges on if the Saints want to preview their future now or try and win out of the gate. I’m sticking with Shough, but I wouldn’t raise an eyebrow if they named Rattler the guy.

Either way, I’m confident we will see both quite a bit this year.