Jan. 9, 2026, 1:41 p.m. CT

New Orleans Saints fans were impressed by Tyler Shough, but how did quarterback experts feel about the rookie’s performance? After checking in with the QB rankings from six different media outlets, we found that, on average, Shough was ranked at 20.5 among the league’s 32 starters. First-round picks Jaxson Dart and Cam Ward were a bit behind him at 23.3 and 28.5, respectively, with second-half Cleveland Browns starter Shedeur Sanders clocking in at 33.0. Shough was ranked as high as 13th by some analysts but no lower than 24th.

That includes Pro Football Focus, who ranked him seventeenth, with a 73.1 PFF passing grade putting Shough well ahead of fellow rookies like Jaxson Dart (64.8), Cam Ward (56.4), Dillon Gabriel (49.6) and Shedeur Sanders (42.3). Here’s a more thorough breakdown on Shough’s season from various rankings around the NFL media landscape:

Shough’s fourth quarter/overtime composite in the back half of the season? 0.104, which ranks 12th in the NFL. His ability to adjust as the game wears on makes him more dangerous than the raw numbers suggest. Also, head coach Kellen Moore has turned him into a viable runner after rushing for only 19 net yards in his seventh collegiate season (2024, Louisville), which is neat.

Jaxson Dart: 16thCam Ward: 34thShedeur Sanders: 36thExpert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

The final six weeks of the season totally reshaped what I’d thought about New Orleans’s roster. Quarterback Tyler Shough isn’t a world-changing talent, but he does enough for this offense that New Orleans clearly has something to build around. 

Brandon Staley was one of the league’s best defensive play callers this season, too. Now, it is worth wondering whether this team can get near or above .500 next season, even though it has more than $60 million in dead cap charges.

Jaxson Dart: 26thCam Ward: 30thShedeur Sanders: 33rd

Grade: B

The New Orleans Saints exceeded expectations in nearly every single way during the 2025 campaign, with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough being the primary reason why.The Saints were consensus favorites to be the NFL’s worst team this past season. Instead, the squad improved to 6-11 after finishing 5-12 a year earlier. The movement may not seem like much, but New Orleans’ roster looked terrible on paper. Either the team was old or unproven through the majority of its lineup.Kellen Moore’s squad won four straight games before dropping its Week 18 contest against the Atlanta Falcons. During the winning streak, Shough completed 71.1 percent of his passes for 1,057 yards and a four-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio.Shough has the requisite size, arm talent and athleticism to be a long-time starting quarterback. The 26-year-old rookie needed to prove he could stay healthy and handle an NFL offense. He did both. According to Pro Football Focus, he graded as the league’s best first-year signal-caller as well.Obviously, New Orleans could have done a little better, with Shough leading them to greater heights. However, the Saints’ front office can build around the team’s new QB1 and continue the team’s upward trend.

Jaxson Dart: 17thCam Ward: 18thShedeur Sanders: 26th

Tyler Shough is likely the future in New Orleans. Sure, he has plenty of things to work on, but just as I believed would prove true with more reps as a rookie, Shough grew over the final month of the season into a composed, confident leader with a quality arm, sneaky good scrambling skills and a clutch gene that I thought was going to lead the Saints to yet another thrilling victory in Week 18 — that is, until he was baited into an ugly interception late in the fourth quarter. That’s a rookie mistake Shough will learn from. Coach Kellen Moore, meanwhile, has to be thrilled with what the Saints have found in Shough.

Jaxson Dart: 23rdCam Ward: 25thShedeur Sanders: 31st

Watch out for the New Orleans Saints to build their team in the image of the Denver Broncos. Whether by coincidence or on purpose, Shough is beginning to remind me of Bo Nix. They’re both good throwers, good runners and on the older side for a quarterback on a rookie deal. Shough’s progress was evident over the final four weeks of the regular season. And under coach Kellen Moore, this offense can take major strides forward next year with Shough as its distributor.

Jaxson Dart: 25thCam Ward: 23rdShedeur Sanders: 27th