The New Orleans Saints are going back to the way things were as they prepare for the Week 9 showdown against the Carolina Panthers. After getting a slew of players returning from injury a week ago, they’ll get another major piece back on offense.
Derek Carr will return from an oblique injury and take his role as the starting quarterback, and it will cause the rotation to shift again. Dennis Allen announced Jake Haener will be Carr’s backup and Spencer Rattler will be the emergency third quarterback. This is a return to how things were prior to Carr’s injury.
Haener’s role has remained constant throughout the entire season. Whether Carr or Rattler was the starter, Haener was always the number two. There was a question of why Haener either didn’t start or why isn’t Rattler now the backup. Allen declined to share insight on the thought process.
Rattler was benched for Haener in his final start. That could have been the reasoning for the decision. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Haener get the start if Carr has to miss another game this year.