After adding Louisville Cardinals QB Tyler Shough in the 2026 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saint have cut down their QB room, releasing Ben DiNucci.
Saints Quarterback Room Now Set with Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and Tyler Shough
While it wasn’t a surprise that the Saints decided to take a QB in the second round, it can be inferred that they were uncertain that Shough would drop to them at No. 40 in the second round.
Why would that be?
Because New Orleans had four QBs on their roster heading into the draft. Usually, that’s the number you have as you head into training camp with the expectation that the fourth-stringer will be cut. The Saints’ four QBs included Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and Ben DiNucci.
The odd man out, as it turned out, was DiNucci, who was cut by the Saints just a few days after the organization selected Shough.
Saints quarterback room is down to four. The Black and Gold release Ben DiNucci.
The Saints four quarterbacks on their roster: Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and newly drafted Tyler Shough.https://t.co/p9083Qq8nR
— Garland Gillen (@garlandgillen) April 29, 2025
Add the former Cardinal in Shough to the mix and New Orleans has a promising QB selection — if Carr’s shoulder injury, which has been clouded in uncertainty, is able to heal before the season.
If it isn’t, Shough will have a real chance at grabbing the starting position.
Carr was injured down the stretch of last season as well, giving way for both Haener and Rattler to see playing time.
Both struggled, but Rattler had more promising moments and ended up coming away with the starting nod more often than Haener. He looks to head into 2025 as the No. 2 QB behind Carr.
Where Shough fits into the mix will be interesting, as he’s not a typical developmental rookie passer. He’s far from that, as he’ll be 26 years old by the time the NFL season kicks off. That means he’ll be two years older than Rattler.
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Surely Shough would have some growing pains if he were thrown into the fire as a rookie, but it’s looking to be an increasingly higher chance that he does after DiNucci was cut and the focus shifted smaller towards the four signal-callers now in the room.
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