Every season, despite the multitude of practices and reporting, there are always situations that remain murky. Still, it's August, and everyone has either already started drafting or will be very soon.
Footballguys, of course, has official projections and staff rankings. However, it can be beneficial to delve into these unclear situations in more detail.
To that end, we've asked our staff to focus on five teams:
Going into the summer, most believed that the best chance of Moore's offense surprising this year is with Tyler Shough convincingly claiming the job in camp. While it's still early (we haven't seen any preseason games yet, after all), the beat so far seems to suggest Spencer Rattler is handily outplaying Shough. If that holds, and Rattler is the starter, how are you feeling about that offense, in particular Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave?
The New Orleans Saints QB Battle
Maurile Tremblay: The Saints enter the preseason with a quarterback showdown featuring veteran Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough locked in a tight battle. Early camp reports suggest Rattler holds a slight edge thanks to his consistency, but Shough was hand-picked by new head coach Kellen Moore.
Jeff Haseley: I am seeing baptism by fire in New Orleans. Someone will be under center, and my gut tells me it's Spencer Rattler. It's a new regime, a new offense, so there will be growing pains and probably not many third-down conversions, leading to more failed drives, which isn't good for anyone.
Meng Song: Tyler Shough was a Round 2 pick and is the only one the current coaching staff had a say in, so I'd wager that he'll be the starter by midseason.
Andy Hicks: Spencer Rattler appears almost certain to start. The fifth-round pick from the 2024 draft doesn't look incompetent. Something that can't be said for this year's second-round pick, Tyler Shough, at this stage. When a writer calls a drill led by Shough “perhaps the worst two-minute drive in the history of the NFL”, it's time to assume the rookie has a lot of learning to do. Be Shough a fast learner or one that takes time, Rattler will open the season until Shough is ready. Expectations for Rattler should be kept low. He is a seat warmer.
Jeff Bell: I expect Spencer Rattler to be a mess when it comes to the task of playing winning quarterback in the NFL. Turnovers will be common. But he is a gunslinger who is capable of getting the ball to his playmakers. I do not believe winning is a goal of the 2025 Saints (a Manning with a blue-chip pedigree is too tempting a prize), but for fantasy, Rattler can deliver production in garbage-time situations.
