It might be time to put that talk about Spencer Rattler starting ahead of Derek Carr to bed. From the reports coming out of New Orleans Saints practices this spring, he isn’t ready to push Jake Haener out of the backup spot, either. The fifth-round draft pick hasn’t exactly hit the ground running.
Rattler was intercepted twice at Tuesday’s organized team activities practice open to the media; both passes were picked off by another rookie, Millard Bradford, an undrafted free agent out of TCU. Locked On Saints host Ross Jackson charted every pass attempt in team drills, which were rough for the first-year pro:
- Derek Carr: 8-for-8, with a possible sack by defensive end Carl Granderson rushing against Trevor Penning at right tackle
- Jake Haener: 4-for-7, with a scramble under pressure by blitzing linebacker D’Marco Jackson
- Spencer Rattler: 3-for-8; Rattler was intercepted once in a 7-on-7 session and again during team drills
This isn’t too surprising, so don’t overreact to it. These practices in May are the time for rookies to be making mistakes like this — they can be valuable learning experiences. So long as Rattler is learning which throws he can and can’t get away with in the NFL, and doesn’t repeat those errors, he’ll be fine.
But for now he’s getting picked off while leading the third-string offense. Carr is the unquestioned starter on the first team, and Haener is in the middle on the second string. There’s plenty of time for Rattler to climb the depth chart. Right now, though, he’s still figuring things out and working to get better.
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