Saints News: Shough Heads Into 2026 With Reshaped Saints Offense
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough enters the 2026 NFL season locked in as the team’s starter and surrounded by significantly more help than he had a year ago. The Saints used the No. 8 overall pick on Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson on Thursday night, the latest move in an offseason aimed at building around their starting quarterback.
Shough took over as the Saints’ starter in Week 9 of the 2025 season after the team fell to 1-7 under Spencer Rattler. He held the job the rest of the way. In 11 games and nine starts, Shough completed 221 of 327 passes for 2,384 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, posting a 67.6 percent completion rate and a 91.3 passer rating. He added 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries. The Saints went 5-4 with him under center, including wins over Tampa Bay and Carolina that pulled the team back into the NFC South picture late in the year. Shough led all qualifying first-year quarterbacks in passing yards per game, completion percentage, passer rating, third-down passer rating, and starts won. He was a finalist for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and was named Offensive Rookie of the Month for December and January.
Head coach Kellen Moore committed to Shough as the 2026 starter at his end-of-season news conference. The front office spent the offseason reinforcing the offense around him.
“We feel great moving forward with Tyler,” Moore said.
The pick of Tyson was the headline move. Tyson totaled 136 receptions for 1,812 yards and 18 touchdowns across his final two seasons at Arizona State and won first-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior. He projects as the No. 2 outside option behind Chris Olave and adds another vertical threat for Shough. Tyson is under team control through 2030 because of the fifth-year option attached to first-round selections.
Olave is heading into his contract year. He caught 119 yards and a touchdown in a Week 17 win over Tennessee that helped Shough push his rookie-year totals into Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation. Olave remains the team’s clear top target and a primary extension candidate for the front office. Tight end Juwan Johnson is under contract through 2027 and was a frequent target of Shough’s in the second half of last season. Running back Travis Etienne Jr. signed a four-year deal in March, joining Alvin Kamara in the backfield and giving Moore another option as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
Shough has been working through the team’s voluntary offseason program. He and his wife welcomed their first child on February 18.
The combination of established pieces, a healthy starting quarterback, and a top-10 receiver selection has reshaped the outlook in New Orleans. The Saints went 7-10 in 2025. The league has not yet released its 2026 schedule, and the regular-season opener is unknown.
Fantasy Outlook
Shough is the perfect wait-on-QB target for 2026. He belongs in the QB1 conversation for 2026 redraft leagues. His 2025 second-half pace projects to about 15 passing touchdowns and 5 to 6 rushing touchdowns over a full 17 games, which puts him in the back end of the top-12 range before factoring in the upgraded supporting cast. The Tyson addition matters. Defenses can no longer roll coverage to Olave, and that should open up the middle of the field for Juwan Johnson and create more clean looks for Shough on play-action. A top-10 finish at the position is the realistic ceiling, with QB12 to QB15 the floor.
Olave is the highest-leverage piece. He should be drafted as a back-end WR2 with WR1 upside if the extension gets done and his target share holds against Tyson’s arrival. Tyson profiles as a WR4 with weekly flex appeal in PPR formats. Etienne is the trickiest valuation given the Kamara timeshare, and a low-end RB2 range is fair. In dynasty, Shough’s stock has settled as a clear top-12 asset at the position. He plays the entire 2026 season at age 26, which compresses the typical second-year fantasy patience curve.