The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints are trending in two very different directions. While the Bucs are in a position to compete for yet another division title as they try to push deeper into the playoffs, New Orleans is once again set to scrape the bottom of the barrell.
Kellen Moore is trying to reestablish a winning culture in New Orleans, even though they are widely expected to be at the bottom of the NFC. To help further that end, Moore decided to reboot the quarterback room by using the No. 40 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Louisville gunslinger Tyler Shough.
Shough has continued to concede ground in the race to be the Saints' QB1, as his inaccuracy in camp has started to shine through. Shough also doesn't appear to have a complete command of the offense, which could lead to him struggling to get on the field.
Per Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Shough was under center for "the worst 2-minute drive in the history of the NFL during situational work late in the practice." Shough has not cemented himself as the starting quarterback, which has to be hilarious for fans banking on the Saints' misfortune to sustain them.
Bucs fans can laugh at Saints as Tyler Shough keeps struggling
Shough is a 6-5 quarterback with a tremendous arm and a penchant for fitting the ball into tight windows, but he comes with major injury concerns and one year of high-level college play. Shough, who was in the same recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, will turn 26 during his rookie season.
While this would suggest that Shough has an easy path to playing time, the Saints don't seem willing to just hand him a starting job right away. Both Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener have been receiving first-team reps, and Rattler has been so impressive that he may have a leg up in this QB1 competition.
Even though the Bucs have dealt with some training camp chaos, like the loss of much-hyped rookie David Walker due to injury and Tristan Wirfs' health issues, the fact that they have a quarterback fresh off a 41-touchdown season in Baker Mayfield should be enough for many pundits to feel comfortable in the decision to put them at the top.