Tyler Shough is just the latest player to become a part of the mix as the Saints continue to try to find their quarterback of the future — an issue New Orleans has been struggling with since the retirement of Drew Brees.
On Sunday evening against the Los Angeles Chargers, we got a chance to see him in in-game action for the first time ever. And, as with practically all rookie quarterbacks, the No. 40 overall pick out of Louisville saw some peaks and a few more valleys.
While there were some misfires, it was Shough who injected life into the offense by connecting with wide receiver Mason Tipton on a 54-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give the Saints their first points on the scoreboard of the evening.
That was cause for forgiveness for some of the early mistakes, as Shough showed strong bounce-back ability, ending his day 15-for-22 passing with 165 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. The fact he only had three rushing yards figured, given Shough is more of a dropback passer by nature.
The other Saints quarterbacks paled in comparison to Shough on the stat sheet, as Spencer Rattler was 7-for-11 passing for 53 yards and veteran Jake Haener was 5-for-8 passing for 41 yards and one interception. Whether or not Shough can hold onto what appears to be the top place in the race will be something to monitor.