When the New Orleans Saints announced their roster cuts to get down to a league-mandated 53-man active roster by Sunday’s deadline, one of the names that didn’t appear on the transaction list was Zach Wilson.
The sixth-year pro — and former No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft — was one of three Saints quarterbacks to make it onto the team’s initial 53-man roster, along with starter Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler.
Second-year pro Hunter Dekkers ended up being the only quarterback New Orleans waived during cutdown weekend, and when the Saints announced their initial practice squad Monday, Dekkers was not on that list.
For now, that leaves New Orleans with Shough, Rattler and Wilson on the active roster, as the Saints prepare to open the 2026 regular season on Sept. 13 with a road game at the Detroit Lions at 11 a.m. MDT.
“I’d say they earned it. Those three earned it,” Saints coach Kellen Moore told reporters Monday, when asked if the plan was always to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster.
“Not every team carries three on the active roster and all three of those guys earned the opportunity to be on the 53. We’ve got three really good QBs.”
While Shough is the unquestioned starter for New Orleans after taking over the QB position as a rookie last year, Moore left the door open on what the team will do in regards to its backup quarterback situation come game day.
“We’ll work through it the next few days but both of these guys are 2s in the NFL. We’re fortunate,” he said.
Wilson, the former BYU and Corner Canyon High star, is on his third team in three years after falling out of favor with his original squad, the New York Jets.
Two years ago, he made the 53-man roster with the Denver Broncos but was ultimately the third-string quarterback behind rookie Bo Nix and veteran Jarrett Stidham and didn’t play that year.
Last season, Wilson signed with the Miami Dolphins and earned limited time over four games, completing 6 of 11 passes for 32 yards.
Now, he’s on a one-year deal with the Saints, where he’s newest to the organization among the franchise’s three quarterbacks.
Rattler was a fifth-round selection by New Orleans in 2024 and was the team’s starting quarterback last season before Shough eventually took over as starter.
During the preseason this year, Rattler and Wilson took the bulk of the snaps under center for New Orleans, with mixed results.
Wilson’s best game came in their first contest, when he completed 11 of 16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in a 24-20 loss to Jacksonville.
Rattler had a few moments as well, and he started two of the Saints’ three preseason game, while Wilson started the other — a 34-0 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in their second preseason matchup.
The Saints received trade interest for Rattler from other teams, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. That included Jacksonville, NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported, but the Jaguars ended up trading for Quinn Ewers with the Dolphins.