The Saints selected quarterbacks in each of the last two NFL drafts, taking Jake Haener in the fourth round in 2023 and Spencer Rattler in the fifth round in 2024. Those two will compete in training camp this year.
Saints coach Dennis Allen said Haener and Rattler will be given plenty of opportunities to prove they deserve to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Derek Carr, and that the final decision likely won’t come until the start of the regular season.
“That thing is going to battle out all throughout training camp,” Allen said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.
Allen said he doesn’t want his young quarterbacks to be afraid to take chances, but he knows they’ll quickly learn that you can get away with mistakes in college that you can’t get away with in the NFL.
“Part of it, out here during this time, and even during training camp, is figuring out what you can do and what you can’t do,” Allen said during OTAs, “And if I never really take a chance, then I never really know what you can or can’t do in our league. And I think you find out here that the windows close a little faster than they do in college.”
Nathan Peterman is also on the Saints’ roster, but he appears to be a long shot to earn the No. 2 job. The Saints want their two young quarterbacks to battle it out, and hope that one of them proves he’s ready if called upon.