The New Orleans Saints had a litany of position battles throughout the offseason, the majority of which were clearly resolved prior to Week 1’s kickoff against the Carolina Panthers.
One such battle had not been solved, however, that being the backup quarterback. It was still listed as “or” on the depth chart between Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. Ultimately, the choice was made pregame, with Haener taking the number two spot and Rattler initially being inactive. He’ll still dress out in his uniform as the emergency third quarterback.
Rattler being the emergency QB means he will have to be part of the 53-man roster come gamedays (which was the expectation regardless). Dennis Allen has said the position will remain fluid this season, and the two split practice reps throughout the week. This decision comes as somewhat of a surprise as many fans believed Rattler outperformed Haener over the summer. However, Haener does have an extra season’s worth of practice reps on the team so that could have played into the decision.