Saints season review: How Tyler Shough transformed the passing game

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore was hired last offseason, in part, to upgrade a stagnant offense. With that in mind, Moore and the Saints used the eight pick of the second round in the 2025 draft on Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough. The pick was criticized by many, too many, wannabe ''draft experts'' that didn't bother to watch Shough closely enough in college. Moore and the Saints had the last laugh, potentially finding a franchise quarterback and certainly breathing life back into the offense with productive ball after a slow start.

With our ongoing look at how New Orleans ranked statistically in 2025, we take a look at the team's suddenly exciting passing attack.

Saints Passing Game

• 219.3 yards per game (13th)
• 67.2% completion percentage (6th)
• 19 touchdowns (26th)
• 12 interceptions (17th)
• 49 sacks (25th)

Yardage leader: Chris Olave (1,163 yards)

Receptions leader: Chris Olave (100)

Touchdowns leader: Chris Olave (9)

Longest reception: Rashid Shaheed (87 yards)

Second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler actually started the year behind center for the Saints. Rattler showed significant improvement from a rookie, but the Saints still had nothing close to a legitimate threat with their passing game. Over the first eight games of the year, New Orleans was flat-out unable to operate in longer down and distance situations because they couldn't threaten defenses down the field or even in intermediate areas.

Rattler averaged just 198.3 passing yards in his eight games as starter. He had a lowly 5.9 yards per attempt, the lowest in the NFL, as the team was at the bottom of the league in third down efficiency and averaged 13.9 points per outing. In Rattler's 14 games as a starter dating back to his rookie year, the Saints have a 1-13 record while averaging 15.3 points and 207 passing per game with only 6 yards per pass attempt.

Tyler Shough took over for a benched Rattler in Week 8 and was installed as the starter afterward. Almost immediately, you saw significant improvement from the passing attack. Shough had some of the hiccups you'd expect from a rookie, but also showed incredible poise, arm talent, and ability to read defenses.

Over his nine starts, Shough averaged 251 passing yards and an impressive 7.3 yards per attempt. The Saints averaged 19.8 points in those games and rocketed to a top-10 conversion rate on third downs over that stretch. Shough set several franchise rookie passing marks in the process and vastly outplayed his rookie counterparts at the position. Consider that Shough did it without Alvin Kamara for seven of those games, Rashid Shaheed for eight, Devaughn Vele for three, and Chris Olave for one. This on top of the fact that the rookie has a mostly nonexistent running game and an abysmal interior offensive line.

Chris Olave had a career year and was at times the only legitimate offensive threat. Olave had 100 receptions on 156 targets for 1,163 yards and 9 scores, all four the highest of his four-year career. He saved his best football for down the stretch, when the team was essentially void of any other weapons. It's what featured wideouts do, something that Olave finally showed that he could be working with Shough.

It took awhile and trading away Shaheed, but Moore and the coaches finally realized what they had in Devaughn Vele. After being criminally underused most of the year, Vele had 19 of his 25 receptions and 239 of his 293 yards in a four-game stretch. A big-bodied receiver that thrives on contested balls and has a chemistry with Shough, expect Vele to be a bigger part of the offensive attack in 2026.

Alvin Kamara was once the most feared NFL running back in passing situations. You'd have never known that, the way he was used by Moore. Kamara had 33 catches but just 186 receiving yards in 11 games. It will be interesting to see how Kamara and the other backs are used by Moore next season in the passing game, since they were largely afterthoughts in 2025. Saints backs averaged only 4 catches and 25 receiving yards per game this year.

Tight end Juwan Johnson certainly wasn't an afterthought. Johnson had 77 catches for 889 yards and 3 touchdowns on 102 targets. They were by far the most targets, receptions, and yardage of Johnson's six-year career and second only to Olave on the team. He left too many plays on the field, but Johnson definitely emerged as a key weapon for Shough and the offense.

New Orleans spent their last two first round draft picks on offensive tackles. The strategy paid off, as right tackle Taliese Fuaga and rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks look like a potentially elite tandem. Both were strong in pass protection, especially Banks, who routinely shut down opposing pass rushers in one-on-one responsibilities. Interior protection was the polar opposite, particularly after center Erik McCoy was lost for the year before mid-season. Shough and Rattler were often under serious duress right up the middle. Guard Cesar Ruiz was the worst, as human turnstile with a free path into the backfield. The left guard spot, often with Dillon Radunz, wasn't much better.

A gaping hole in the middle of the line and a running game that helped little were big enough obstacles for Tyler Shough. What made his numbers and accomplishments even more impressive, however, was who he was throwing to. Kevin Austin, Dante Pettis, Ronnie Bell, Samori Toure, and others should get credit for making some plays. But, the reality is that these were practice squad players pressed into significant action. Yet, Shough continued to make critical plays in key moments. These obstacles alone should win him a deserved Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

There will be some additions to the New Orleans offense this offseason. An upgrade at guard is a major need. New faces at wideout and running back are also expected. However, these will all be made not to mask a deficiency at quarterback. Rather, they'll be done to enhance the upside of a potential franchise quarterback in Tyler Shough.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints season review: How Tyler Shough transformed the passing game