Has Tyler Shough Taken Saints Out Of QB Race?

The New Orleans Saints picked up a dominant win on Sunday, blowing out the New York Jets 29-6 in Week 16. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough continues to play an impressive brand of football. Shough is playing well enough to convince the Saints to pass on selecting a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Shough completed 32-of-49 passing attempts for 308 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. The 40th overall selection is proving capable of handling a high-volume workload in Kellen Moore's offense. Shough is developing nicely under the tutelage of Moore's brilliant mind.

Shough's lone touchdown pass occurred in the third quarter with the Saints nursing just a 9-6 lead. Superstar wide receiver Chris Olave got loose on a pick-play that led to a Jets coverage bust. Shough put enough touch on a ball he lofted with anticipation to Olave.

The Saints have now rounded off three consecutive victories, including wins over their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers. Shough is now 4-3 as the Saints' starting quarterback. Every other rookie QB in the NFL is a combined 7-33.

Sunday's display saw Shough surpass franchise legend Archie Manning for the most wins and touchdown passes by a rookie in organization history. He also passed Spencer Rattler for the most passing yards by a first-year QB, and became the Saints' first rookie to throw for 300 yards in a game. Shough has thrown for 1,792 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Nine rookie quarterbacks have attempted a minimum of 30 passes this season. Shough has the best completion percentage at 66.7%. He's third in passing yards behind just first-round quarterbacks Cam Ward (2,866) and Jaxson Dart (1,835).

Shough also leads all rookie quarterbacks in yards per attempt (6.8). Heading into Sunday, Shough was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded rookie QB in the offense (77.4) and passing (74.8) departments. The former Louisville standout also had the fewest percentage of turnover-worthy plays at 1.9%.

The Saints are now scheduled to possess the No. 8 overall selection according to the 2026 NFL Draft real-time order. Three straight wins have dropped the Saints well out of the projected top three. That probably puts general manager Mickey Loomis nowhere close to within striking distance of drafting a top quarterback prospect like Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore.

If the New York Giants clinch the No. 1 selection, they'll probably possess interest in trading the pick to a QB-needy team. The Saints shouldn't get aggressive enough to even consider such an expensive move. Shough is playing well enough to forgo paying the QB tax, and the roster is still in its rebuilding phase. Giving up multiple premium picks when Shough is performing like a potential long-term franchise signal-caller would be unnecessary.

Shough and the Saints have gotten red-hot down the stretch. The rookie quarterback deserves an opportunity to prepare as the starter for his sophomore season. Another offseason of talent acquisition for Loomis' rebuilding roster could surround Shough with the supporting cast needed to secure his future in New Orleans and officially take the Saints out of the QB market.