Spencer Rattler Named Saints QB1 for Preseason Opener amid Battle with Tyler Shough

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore announced that Spencer Rattler will start at quarterback during the team's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

"Super excited, awesome opportunity," Rattler said, per the team's official website. "Excited to get to start the game. ... Feel like it's been a good camp. ... We're looking forward to it."

The Saints have yet to announce their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the regular season with Rattler, Jake Haener and 2025 second-round draft pick Tyler Shough competing for the job.

New Orleans selected Rattler with a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft and he went on to appear in seven games as a rookie. He completed 57.0 percent of his throws for 1,317 yards and four touchdowns compared to five interceptions.

While Rattler starting in the preseason doesn't mean that he's guaranteed to earn the top spot on the team's depth chart in the regular season, he appears to be leading the positional battle.

The Saints were splitting first-team reps between all three quarterbacks early in training camp, but ESPN's Katherine Terrell revealed on Wednesday that Rattler ended up sticking with the starting offense in back-to-back practices.

Shough should still receive plenty of opportunities to challenge for a first-string role, but he'll operate as a backup on Sunday.

Kickoff between New Orleans and Los Angeles is at 4:05 p.m. ET.