Is Spencer Rattler underrated?
By: Jake Rajala
Spencer Rattler is 1-5, yet he’s quite underrated. In the Arizona contest, it wasn’t Spencer’s fault on the Saints last offensive drive. Juwan Johnson dropped a touchdown in the end zone. Juwan was also enemy number one in Week 5, due to his fumble toward the end of the contest. This certainly brought back memories of Jared Cook fumbling in the playoffs and ruining Drew Brees’s last Super Bowl hopes.
I would like to see TE Taysom Hill more involved, especially in the red zone. The Saints kick more field goals than the vast majority of teams, which isn’t a recipe for success. Hill was finally utilized against the Pats in the red zone, and he scored a TD. Kendre Miller is also a yards after contact machine and should be more involved in that area.
Rattler was once seen as a favorite to be picked first overall. Well, that dream didn’t come to fruition for him. He was drafted in the fifth round in 2024, yet he’s playing like he was picked in one of the first two rounds. It’s worth putting him into comparison with Caleb Williams.
Williams
- 927 yards
- 8 passing TDs to 2 ints
- 97.8 passer rating
- 62.3% completion percentage
Rattler has unleashed 1,217 passing yards thus far. He also has a 91.9 passer rating thus far. Rattler has only thrown 1 interception, and it was on 4th down. Hence, it was in very understandable circumstances. Rattler has been quite wise and accurate. He has a completion percentage of 68.5%, which is admirable.
PFF has handed Rattler a grade of 70.5. He handed Williams a grade of 75. I have to say that I think Rattler would have at least a 75 grade if his OC was Ben Johnson.
I would like to see the Saints target a big body WR or a TE before the trade deadline. Vele, who is 6’5, can’t quite get into a rhythm in the Saints offense just yet. It’s probably too late to bring back Jimmy Graham. All jokes aside, the Saints could get more TDs from being creative with other weapons (as previously noted).
The Miami Dolphins TE Darren Waller came out of retirement a few weeks ago, and he already has four TDs. I’m especially thankful that he’s on my fantasy team. We’ve also seen Gronk come out of retirement and shine.
I believe it’s at least safe to say Rattler won’t be losing his job to Tyler Shough in the near future. It felt like yesterday the two were duking it out in preseason for the keys to the starting QB spot. Shough is still the ultimate competitor and will be breathing down Spencer’s neck. I have to say that Rattler is likely a better option than a rookie QB in 2026, even if the QB is Arch Manning.
I would have to say that quality marks for Rattler if he can get fewer than several ints and 20+ touchdowns. As far as wins, I believe 5-6 wins would be fair right now.
I really want to see Rattler take down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are elite and division foes. They check two boxes for the Saints to cross if they win.
I would love to see Rattler take more risks in the final 2-minutes of the games. He should attempt a deep throw or two deep shots to Rashid Shaheed or Chris Olave. They both have incredible deep speed and it means fewer targets to Juwan, who hasn’t shined with little time remaining.
Spencer is gutsy and gifted, but he’s not a football god. He can’t control everything in the game, such as how his defense performs. The Saints are 25th in PPG allowed, which makes it extra stressful for Rattler and the Saints offense to shine. Even Drew Brees couldn’t escape a dreadful defense, as he routinely went 7-9 with an NFL’s worst defense.
I expect Rattler to get more help in the offseason. He is often compared to Jay Cutler. Cutler went 7-9, 8-8, and then 7-9 in his first three seasons. His next three seasons, he went 10-5. 7-3, and 10-5. It shows that it can take a lot of time for any starting QB to grow and become a winning QB.
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