True to his word, New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore confirmed Thursday that starting quarterback Tyler Shough and the team's first-string offense will not play in Saturday's preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It'll be backup quarterback Spencer Rattler leading the team out of the tunnel this weekend.
While the Saints haven't opened up a competition for the starting QB job -- everyone in the building knows it's Shough -- the reviews have been positive on Rattler in Year 3. He's worked well from the pocket and attacked the field at different levels. His deep shot to wide receiver Trey Palmer during Thursday's joint practice emphasized that point.
So this preseason game will be a big opportunity for Rattler and his teammates on the second-team offense to show what they can do. He's kept a gap between himself and Zach Wilson for the QB2 spot, but Rattler still has ambitions of starting in the NFL. Putting quality plays on game tape will keep on interested teams' radar. Let's see what he can do.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 15.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints announce starting QB for first preseason game vs. Jaguars