The New Orleans Saints may not have seen this coming.
And at least in his negative thoughts, Spencer Rattler may not have seen it coming, either.
But it feels pretty clear now: Rattler is an NFL starting quarterback.
The Saints gave Rattler the job to begin this season, a year after drafting him in the fifth round. They likely figured at some point they’d turn to second-round rookie Tyler Shough.
Rattler, who went 20-for-26 passing on Sunday, has had other ideas. Although the Saints as a team have struggled, Rattler has been the real deal.
He’s accurate and athletic and pushes the ball down the field. It’s a great skillset.
It makes some sense to those who have followed Rattler’s career for a long time.
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In college, if he could’ve come out one year earlier, he would’ve been in contention for the No. 1 overall pick.
But then he struggled so much he stayed in school, and then he struggled some more.
It bumped Rattler down to the fifth round.
QBs rarely make it out of the fifth round to success, but Rattler started as a rookie and has gotten better as a second-year quarterback.
He’s got youth on his side, too, at least to an extent. He’s actually exactly 365 days younger than Shough.
The Saints may not know enough to commit to Rattler super long term yet. But he’s also proven he belongs in the NFL, and it’s been a winding journey to reach this point.
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