Moore was asked following New Orleans’ 17-all tie with the Jacksonville Jaguars whether he planned to announce the team’s Week 1 starter ahead of preseason Week 3. His response?
‘We’ll see,’ Moore replied. ‘Obviously, I got first sight here, but film will be an important aspect of this thing, and we’ll just see how everything progresses leading into this week.’
The Saints currently have three quarterbacks on their roster: Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough and Jake Haener. Moore has spoken well of all three throughout the offseason and praised them after Sunday’s game.
‘All these QBs aren’t making this easy,’ Moore said of New Orleans’ quarterback battle. ‘They’re all doing a really good job and they’re all having their days and they’re taking advantage of their opportunities. So, you know, it’s an evaluation and we’ll take it where it needs to go.’
That said, the Saints appear to be choosing between Rattler and Shough two for the starting job. Haener was the third quarterback off the bench in the team’s preseason opener before failing to play against the Jaguars.
Shough outperformed Rattler in preseason Week 1, completing 15 of 22 passes for 165 yards, one touchdown and one interception in New Orleans’ 27-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The tables turned against the Jaguars, when Rattler completed 18 of 24 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception while throwing the game-tying touchdown to Dante Pettis with 20 seconds left in regulation.
As such, Moore has not yet made up his mind about who will start in Week 1. Still, he told reporters he doesn’t necessarily view that as a bad thing.
‘Sooner is always better, but these guys are competing and they’re giving us everything that we can ask,’ Moore said of the Saints’ quarterback competition. ‘So, we’ll continue to evaluate.’