Updated Jan. 2, 2026, 9:04 a.m. CT

You might have missed this one on the daily NFL transactions wire this week, but the New Orleans Saints quietly made a move at quarterback. Backup QB Hunter Dekkers was activated from the practice squad injury list on Wednesday, which will allow him to sign a reserve/future deal to compete at training camp next summer. Dekkers spent most of the season sidelined with a shoulder injury after being waived and re-signed 10 times from May to September.

It’s an intriguing move. The Saints have kept Jake Haener on the practice squad all year while other quarterbacks with less experience and who were drafted later than him were snatched up by QB-needy teams around the league. You’d think change is coming as Kellen Moore’s coaching staff works out a plan to back up Tyler Shough. That might mean letting Haener go when they have the chance to bring in other options or develop Dekkers. A weak crop of quarterback prospects in the 2026 draft class means Spencer Rattler could draw interest from other teams (as far as that goes, so could Derek Carr). Rattler is also entering Year 3 of his four-year contract in 2026 and may welcome the chance to compete for a starting job somewhere else.

We’re just guessing in early January, but it sure feels like Shough and Dekkers are likeliest to be on the team when they kick off training camp in late July. Moore has his starter, but he’s going to want his own guys in the room working with offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien every day. That could mean drafting another QB to develop (like Trinidad Chambliss, if he declares), signing a free agent Moore has coached before (like Kenny Pickett) or exploring a trade for another one of his proteges (like Cooper Rush or Tanner McKee).

But let’s not lose sight of what Dekkers has to offer. He’s a bigger quarterback than Rattler or Haener, listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, with an NFL-quality arm and some strong production against lower levels of competition. The left-handed passer has also been in those same daily meetings with the Saints coaching staff all year and should have an early lead on picking up the playbook in the spring. Maybe he’s the real QB2 in waiting after all.

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