State of the Saints QB room: Will Spencer Rattler back up Derek Carr?

NEW ORLEANS — When the New Orleans Saints begin training camp in late July, one of the most unique position battles will be for a backup role.

Quarterbacks Jake Haener, the Saints’ fourth-round pick in 2023, and Spencer Rattler, this year’s fifth-round pick, will battle to back up Derek Carr, a spot vacated when Jameis Winston signed with the Cleveland Browns in March.

“This thing is going to fight all through training camp,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said.

The Saints took an unusual approach to building their quarterback roster this year, selecting Rattler just one year after taking Haener with a mid-round pick. The team also selected Nathan Peterman in free agency.

That didn’t bother Haener, who dreams of one day becoming a starting quarterback.

“I’m going to prepare as much as I can,” Haener said. “Just because there’s a little bit of competition doesn’t mean I’m afraid of it. It’s the NFL and at the end of the day, if I’m going to achieve my goals, I’m going to have to compete with a lot of different people.”

It was the first time since the 1990 season that the Saints drafted quarterbacks of the same age. New Orleans had selected quarterbacks Mike Buck in the sixth round and Gerry Gdowski in the eighth round of a 12-round draft that year.

“I don’t know, no matter how long Derek wants to play, they’ve got to try to get somebody … to try to set things up for the future,” Haener said. “And if it’s me and Spencer, then whoever’s the best and whoever can set this organization up for future success, then everybody goes. That’s kind of how I look at it.”

It’s also a role reversal for a team that selected just two primary quarterbacks in the draft during the Drew Brees era from 2006-2020. They’ve drafted three quarterbacks since Brees retired, including Ian Book in 2021.

Here’s what the backup battle — and the quarterback room in general — looks like this offseason:

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Derek Carr

If Carr has had trouble adjusting to the sixth offensive coordinator job of his career, he hasn’t shown it in offseason workouts open to the media.

Carr, 33, is entering his second year with the Saints and his first under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. On the final day of minicamp, he admitted it’s been a “mental” job learning a new offense and improving from where he was at the end of last season.

“I asked myself, ‘How can I be better in this first year?’ And I looked at everything I do, and I just tried to take it to an extreme level of mental capacity … I hope I don’t show it too much, but I’m tired,” Carr said with a laugh. “… We worked really hard to make sure we could play good football right out of the gate. I don’t make any promises, I don’t make any guarantees that it’s going to be better, I just know we’ve done more.”

The Saints struggled in the red zone during the first half of the season but have improved over the past month, winning four of the last five games and integrating better on offense.

That wasn’t enough to save offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael’s job, and the Saints looked for a new person to take over that role for the first time since the 2009 season.

That’s meant a change for Carr, who said he’s stepped up his fitness routine to prepare for some of the new things he’ll be asked to do this year, like more play-action concepts. He said he’s a little lighter at this point than he was last year.

“As far as overall fitness, I’ve just taken it to another level. … I just want to make sure I can run all day,” Carr said. “I’ve got to make sure my bootleg looks the same … like when I pass the ball and when I shoot.”

Carr said he started to feel comfortable on offense midway through last season, though physically it took longer because of a shoulder injury suffered against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3.

He said he was impressed with how Kubiak and his staff got everyone used to the offense. Carr said if he had any hesitation about anything, Kubiak was always available and willing to find a solution.

“He always has a precise answer to help me play fast,” he said. “I think he’s a very good coach and I’m glad we have him.”

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Jake Haener

Haener’s rookie season got off to a rocky start last year after he was suspended for the first six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Haener never played in a regular-season game in 2023 and was the third-string quarterback behind Carr and Winston (with Taysom Hill also in the fold to handle backup duties if needed).

That all seemed a distant memory during practices this summer. Haener looked healthy throughout OTAs and minicamp and said he didn’t throw an interception until the second day of minicamp on June 12.

“As far as progression and everything, I’m still getting ready, getting the timing right and all that. I think that’s what this time is for,” Haener said. “I think the coaches have done a really good job of not letting us get comfortable and forcing us to stretch every day and really push ourselves.”

Haener said he feels comfortable in the offense heading into his second year, and that’s partly due to a revamped playbook under Kubiak.

“There’s a lot to deal with as a rookie, you know? There’s new people, new system, new coaching… I feel like this system also helps us see things a little bit more clearly,” Haener said. “I guess the terminology is not… what Drew did. So when it was taught to Drew in 2009, I wasn’t even 10 years old yet. It made sense to Drew, but it might not make sense to Jake Haener in 2024, 15 years later.”

Haener said he thinks the changes have allowed him to learn things faster.

“So I feel really confident going through the huddle, calling things, knowing where they are, knowing the formations, knowing the plays, the concepts and the reads with my footwork,” Haener said.

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Spencer Rattler

Rattler had an up-and-down start to the offseason with the Saints, being intercepted multiple times during OTA practices open to the media.

Allen said it’s all part of the learning process.

“Part of the job here during this time, and even during training camp, is figuring out what you can do and what you can’t do,” Allen said during OTAs. “And if I never really take any risks, then I never really know what you can or can’t do in our league. And I think you find out here that the windows close a little bit faster than they did in college.”

Rattler appeared to have settled in at minicamp, and he spent time with the second-team offense during minicamp.

“I feel very comfortable as soon as I’m on the field. We put a lot of emphasis on footwork and timing. It’s never perfect,” Rattler said.

Rattler and Haener said they’ve traded time with the second- and third-line attacks, though Rattler has had just one stint with the second team during practices open to the media.

Rattler and Haener were both intercepted during minicamp, with Marshon Lattimore getting the better of Rattler during team drills and Haener throwing an errant pass to undrafted rookie defensive back Millard Bradford.

“He’s an All-Pro, one of the best players in the game, so if anybody got me, I’m glad it was him. Ultimately, he made a great play,” Rattler said.

Rattler said the speed of the NFL has been rapid, but at the end of the day, “football is football.”

“We haven’t gotten to our full protection or our top speed yet, but just getting the timing right for the plays, listening to our feet, I think that’s the biggest thing,” Rattler said. “But I’m getting used to it.”

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Nathan Peterman

Peterman has a history with Saints quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, having worked with the Chicago Bears in 2022-23. He was Carr’s teammate with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020-21. He signed a one-year deal with New Orleans during free agency.

However, Peterman would be unlikely to make the roster with the amount of money and draft capital the Saints have already invested in other quarterbacks. So far, he’s only gotten one or two reps at a time behind the other quarterbacks in team drills.

He could potentially be a practice squad candidate if the Saints want to keep a second veteran to help Carr.

“I’ve played with Nate, I know how he operates, I know how he prepares, he’s a consummate professional, and I think that’s why the coaches love him and the players love him,” Carr said. “… He’s a great teammate, a great leader, he’s encouraging. He helps guys on the sidelines, things that nobody’s going to see, but he’s there to do it.”