Minus One QB for the New Orleans Saints
This recent abysmal season was marked by events that New Orleans Saints fans would prefer to forget. One of those events was the poor performance of the head coach, which would result in the termination of Dennis Allen following a 23- 22 loss to the Carolina Panthers. This was “bandaged” with the reassignment of assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who would finish the season in that position with three wins and five losses and an overall season stat of five wins and 12 losses. Another one of the ongoing concerns has been the lack of a quarterback to play back-to-back seasons. There has been a “revolving door” of quarterbacks in that position since the departure of Drew Brees due to poor performance or injury, without a suitable and well-trained backup. The hiring this past February of a new head coach is a step in the right direction; however, the question has been asked about what to do about the “QB situation,” especially with current quarterback Derek Carr’s career with the team being uncertain due to a prolonged injury.
Fortunately, Saints fans were given some hope. Last week, the team with the 40th overall pick in the NFL Draft utilized their turn to acquire Tyler Shough from Louisville. This decision brought the number of quarterbacks to five for the team, which does allow the coaching staff to analyze their prospects and collectively make the decision as to who should start at the beginning of the game, and will be responsible for leading. Having their pick out of five players increases the team’s chances of finding the right “fit” instead of being restricted to whom they already have to work with. It also sounds like a waste of effort and resources that could be devoted to the main and backup positions.
Any business that is doing poorly may need to make cuts to its bottom line to remain afloat. After reviewing costs associated with wages, employees who have exact or similar responsibilities may have their positions eliminated to save money and reallocate those funds to another department. The Saints had to make a similar decision, resulting in the cut of one of their quarterbacks, Ben DiNucci. He had joined the team in December on the practice squad, where he remained on a futures deal until earlier this week. His NFL career began in 2020 when he was drafted in the seventh round by the Cowboys and appeared in three games as a member of the team. For the Saints, aside from Shough and Carr, the other quarterbacks on their roster currently are Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler.
