Not even ESPN believes in Tyler Shough ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Shough is probably in the second best situation of any quarterback taken aside from Cam Ward. He has a quarterback battle from Day 1 – albeit against Spencer Rattler – and a chance to start Week 1.
Derek Carr’s retirement opened up that opportunity. So it’s fair for ESPN to predict he will make 13 starts this season. But throwing just 13 touchdowns shows they have very little belief in him. That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?
Shough might be in one of the best situations to start as a rookie, which should open the door for him to succeed. The Saints don’t have the greatest support around him and have a new offensive system coming in, which will make things challenging. But it doesn’t mean he’s not good enough to elevate this team past what last year's disappointment accomplished.
What made Jayden Daniels and CJ Stroud have such strong starts to their NFL careers is because they were on a team that truly was a quarterback away. And both teams were essentially coming off major rebuilds. Shough doesn't have that luxury. And while he's neither Stroud nor Daniels, he may have no choice but to be the Saints' answer.
Saints may have to turn to Tyler Shough this year with low expectations
Shough had a solid college career, finishing in the top 20 for total passing yards his last year at Louisville. The Cardinals ended up finishing 9-4 with a bowl win over Washington. As good as he was at Louisville, this was also his third school and sixth season in college.
He’s one of the oldest quarterbacks in this last draft class. On top of that, is he really the best player to turn things around in New Orleans? Per NFL.com’s draft profile, they predicted him to be a good backup that could develop into a starter.
That’s a great evaluation. He’s not bad, but needs to actually develop into an NFL starter. He didn’t look elite in college. His other biggest problem is durability. His last two seasons at Texas Tech were riddled with injuries. The most recent injury was a broken leg and he ultimately transferred to Louisville.
I’m not sold on Shough yet and neither is ESPN. If Shough starts 13 games, I think he can manage to throw more than 13 touchdowns. It’s not a great supporting cast, but it’s enough.