Saints Training Camp Overview and Storylines For the Quarterback Room

The Saints quarterback group kicks off our position previews for training camp, as there's plenty of intrigue this year in what happens with the room.

Saints quarterbacks Spencer Rattler, Derek Carr and Jake Haener at OTAs with Andrew Janocko. / John Hendrix

We're less than a week away from the first Saints training camp practice, as New Orleans gets festivities underway on the West Coast next Wednesday morning from UC-Irvine. The veterans will join the rookies in a week, as all of the drafted and undrafted players report to camp on Tuesday. It's one step closer to real football returning, and there's a lot of questions for Dennis Allen and the Saints that we want to see answered.

Our annual look at each position for the Saints ahead of training camp kicks off with the quarterbacks, as we break the position down and give you what you need to know.

Saints Training Camp Position Preview - Quarterback

Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) calls a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Depth Chart: Derek Carr, Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler, Nathan Peterman

Biggest Storyline: Derek Carr and The Klint Kubiak Offense

Derek Carr enters his second season with the Saints and looks to build upon his strong finish to last season. The team underwent a major makeover for their offense this offseason, changing out just about every coach that was previously on staff. Klint Kubiak's operation impressed us from the very start, and the early sample sizes certainly look different than anything we've seen in the past.

There's a run first emphasis for this particular attack, which is rooted more from Gary Kubiak's offense from the Houston Texans, but obviously has imprints of Kyle Shanahan and others. The prevailing theory is that the design and scheme New Orleans used in their final stretch of games is more of what we'll see in 2024, using more motion and play action and also focusing on outside runs. This should help Carr out in more ways than one, and we're eager to see this play out in training camp.

From a statistical standpoint, this is how the Saints offense finished in major categories last year.

• Total Yards/Game - 337.2 (14th)
• Total Yards/Play - 5.11 (19th)
• Rushing Yards/Game - 102.5 (21st)
• Rushing Yards/Play - 3.63 (31st)
• Passing Yards/Game - 234.7 (11th)
• Interception Rate - 1.82% (10th)
• Sacks/Pass Attempt - 5.78% (6th)
• 3rd Down - 38.7% (15th)
• 4th Down - 47.4% (T-22nd)
• Red Zone - 53.3% (18th)
• Goal To Go - 72.4% (T-14th)
• Average Time of Possession - 31:10 (6th)
• Points/Game - 23.6 (9th)

Some of the numbers can certainly be a little misleading, but the bottom line is that we are expecting marked improvement in many of these areas, which in turn would lead to a lot more successes for the Saints and their offense.

Biggest Camp Battle: Jake Haener vs. Spencer Rattler

The backup job behind Carr is very much up for grabs, and it should be one of the most entertaining battles of training camp. Jake Haener enters as the favorite to win the job, but it was encouraging to see how much Spencer Rattler progressed in such a short time. Both are extremely talented and smart, and new quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko should help elevate everyone in the room in tandem with Kubiak.

The verbiage and playbook is what Haener and Rattler will need to pick up on most, and ultimately the one who gets it in practice more probably ends up winning the job. The preseason will be very interesting, however, as we expect to see a healthy dose of both quarterbacks. If both come along, then the future could be a little more interesting for New Orleans.

Wild Card: Taysom Hill

Taysom Hill's exact role isn't known yet, but we would expect him to get some reps in with the quarterbacks during training camp. He obviously will continue being a rushing and receiving threat primarily. It's worth pointing out that he's only attempted 30 passes in the past two seasons, which included 11 last year. There's always the element of surprise with Hill when he is in the lineup, and we looked at his usage in-depth recently.

Early Roster Projection

There's not many surprises here, but there should be three quarterbacks on the final roster, with Carr, Haener and Rattler all being in. You aren't going to pass Spencer Rattler through waivers. Haener would end up being No. 2 behind Carr, but I expect stiff competition from Rattler. Nathan Peterman is a viable option for the practice squad, and the new NFL rule regarding the emergency quarterback could be something to keep in mind here.

Under the new rules, the emergency QB can be elevated on an unlimited basis, and it would only come into play if the first two quarterbacks are unavailable from injury or ejection. However, this would also count as one of the two standard elevations each week. We'll see if anything major happens, but the added rule is just another piece of information to use.

Just like last year, the quarterback spot is fairly straightforward. There's no question as to who will start for the Saints in Week 1, but the backup spot will presumably go to a rookie or second-year player. In the past, that has always been a job for a veteran. Derek Carr doesn't have play lights out for New Orleans to get into the postseason, but his efficiency will be key. For everyone's sake, hopefully this is the year we see a consistent offense all season long, and it'll start in training camp.