The New Orleans Saints season has gone from bad to worse, with quarterback Derek Carr reportedly going to be out for multiple games after suffering an oblique injury. The injury came in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs and wasn’t immediately thought to be severe. However, further testing shows that he’s going to miss multiple games, opening the door for a new signal caller to step in.
Carr Suffered Tough Injury
Carr got hit with this injury at a very unfortunate time, and not just when it comes to the season. The team just played a game on Monday night, meaning that they already had a short week ahead of them before their game on Sunday. On a short week, he’s likely to be ruled out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the weekend. To make matters worse, the Saints’ next game is against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night, another short week. So, the expectation is that Carr misses BOTH of those matchups, which in reality is about a week and a half for recovery.
Jake Haener Might Be The Top Option
When Carr went down, it was backup quarterback Jake Haener who filled in for him, completing just two of his seven pass attempts to end the game. Many fans are under the belief that the coaching staff will once again favor Haener for these next two games, but that isn’t who they want to see under center. Instead, the desire from fans is that Spencer Rattler will get the call to start, so the team can see what he’s made of. Haener had been outplayed by Rattler during the three preseason games, but he has more familiarity with the offensive system, something that the staff likes. He was a fourth-round pick in 2023 and has yet to start an NFL game.
Spencer Rattler SHOULD Be The Top Option For The Saints
Rattler was a fourth-round pick in 2024 and hasn’t started a game either. The interesting thing with him though is that fans don’t want him based on stats, they want him to start based on his potential. There was a time when Rattler could have been a very high first-round draft pick, but his stock fell in later years at college. Still, even getting your name up that high at a young age means that there is some level of talent worth taking a look at. Plus, he displays a ton of qualities that you can’t teach a quarterback, and that showed up during the preseason. Whenever he was out there, the offense just moved down the field more effectively, he brought a spark to that group, and he ignited confidence in whoever was around him, that’s what the Saints need right now. And if he proves himself in these next two games, then maybe we have ourselves a quarterback of the future. Haener doesn’t bring those same types of attributes, but he does have slightly more experience.
I hope to see Rattler take these next two games on, just to get him on the field. At least then we’d have something to truly cheer for even in losses, because he might be the franchise quarterback of the future. Haener could be as well, though I simply don’t see the same potential in him as I do with Spencer. Whoever starts in these next two games needs to win both of them, otherwise, this team could be falling into a five-game losing streak. And in the NFL, that essentially can end your season.