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Surprise Choice? Saints Pick Second-Year QB as Backup Over Rookie Phenom

Jake Haener, not Spencer Rattler is the Saints backup to Derek Carr.

John Hendrix

Derek Carr, Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler at Thursday's Saints training camp practice.
Derek Carr, Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler at Thursday's Saints training camp practice. / Hendrix Media | Saints News Network
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Jake Haener is the backup quarterback to start the regular season, at least from what Week 1's inactive list tells us. Haener was getting work behind Derek Carr during pre-game warmups while rookie Spencer Rattler observed.

Dennis Allen played his decision close to the vest, not willing to name a backup during the week. The Saints went as far as putting 'or' on the depth chart when it came to Haener and Rattler. Rattler is in uniform for Sunday's game against the Panthers, being designated as the team's emergency third quarterback.

The battle during training camp was entertaining to say the least, as it was very close between both quarterbacks. Social media hysteria ensued after Rattler put on some really fun performances in the preseason. Allen has said that the team will develop both quarterbacks this season, and the future could be extremely bright for New Orleans. However, it's Derek Carr in the driver's seat until he's not.

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net

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