The echo of a collarbone snapping in Lubbock. The gasp as a fibula gave way in Morgantown. For Tyler Shough, football wasn’t a highlight reel. Indeed, it was a bone-deep lesson in resilience, a seven-year college odyssey across three schools where the training room became a second home. Now? He stands in the Louisiana sun, the New Orleans Saints’ shiny new second-round QB, poised for a starting gig, Derek Carr’s surprise retirement flung wide open.
Undoubtedly, behind the bravado, Shough often pauses on the true cost. “I feel like. I mean, I think it’s just, you know, you look back and it’s like, what are you willing to sacrifice to get to that position?” Indeed, it’s a question that’s haunted him through two broken collarbones, one shattered fibula, and more rehab sessions than starts.
As NFL rival Amon-Ra St. Brown mused on his podcast, peering into Shough’s improbable journey: “Like, your situation… what probably wasn’t ideal getting hurt, but right. The way it worked out for you… It was good.” Undoubtedly, Shough’s chuckle said it all. “Yeah.” Three schools (Oregon, Texas Tech, Louisville), constant rehab, and a pit stop in the depths of doubt. St. Brown nailed the absurd triumph.
“Second round pick. I mean, two years ago, would you have thought you went second round?… Now you’re in a situation. In my opinion, you might be in the best situation out of all the quarterbacks that got drafted. You’re at a spot where you can start day one. You can be the guy. I mean, the team is yours,” he noted. Moreover, it’s a script even Madden devs might reject as unrealistic.
From walking Oregon’s rainy 6 AM campus pre-NIL, biking through thunderstorms just to lift, to leading Louisville with 3,195 yards and 23 TDs in his lone healthy season – Shough’s 9.70 RAS athleticism finally met opportunity. His response to the pressure? Pure, unfiltered Arizona grit: “Throw some s— at me… You’re not gonna phase me if we start off 0-2 or I f—— s—… That’s why I was so excited.” That was explicit. He didn’t stop there.
When asked to imagine his path laid out in full, his answer was as raw as his scars: “If you had told me as a 20-year-old, you know, you’re gonna get drafted, but you’re gonna have to wait four or five years. And you’re gonna break your bones three times. You’re gonna think about not playing football again and be depressed… But if you just stay at it, then I would have done it when I did. But at that time, you’re thinking, man, why is this happening?” It’s the hunger of a man who stared down quitting, fueled by a mother’s battle with cancer and a faith that held him steady.
This isn’t just a rookie; it’s a 25-year-old gladiator, mentally battle-tested like a 10-year vet. Meanwhile, coach Kellen Moore is busy preparing his team for the next season.
Kellen Moore’s camp calibrations & the numbers game post Shough
While Shough prepares to sling it, new head coach Kellen Moore is meticulously retooling the Saints‘ environment. Forget breezy California retreats – training camp kicks off July 23 in Metairie, the Louisiana humidity thick as gumbo. Moreover, Moore declared at the Owners’ Meetings: “We’re going to get exposure to the heat… It’s not supposed to be the easiest thing in the world.”
Then, a strategic shift: the squad jets to UC-Irvine August 6–15, ditching planned Chargers joint practices for focused, internal bonding – a ‘Mass Effect’-style “calibration” before preseason. Moore’s fingerprints are already on OTAs: less full-contact 11v11, more sharp, situational 7v7 work. “We’re starting to introduce situational football,” he noted, “and training camp will have a really heavy situational emphasis.” Undoubtedly, it’s about building IQ, preserving bodies, and letting the QB competition – Rattler vs. Haener vs. Shough – simmer fairly.
Credits: Social media, taken from X @Doug Mouton
Amidst this backdrop, fresh faces claimed their digits, stitching new threads into the Saints’ fabric:
Jayden Price (CB, #28): UFL’s pass-breakup leader (13) brings return skills (5 college PR TDs).
Seth Green (TE, #42): The ultimate Swiss Army knife (wildcat QB, TE, Houston/Texans/UFL grind).
Barry Wesley (OL, #69): Colorado State walk-on captain turned UFL stalwart, wearing his familiar digit.
Running back Cam Akers swapped his tryout #38 for #26, signaling a longer stay. Indeed, these numbers aren’t just fabric; they’re emblems of underdog dreams meeting Moore’s meritocracy.
Moreover, Shough’s path – marked by literal breaks and comebacks – mirrors New Orleans’ reload. And it’s not about avoiding the storm; In fact, it’s about learning to dance, precision-drilled, within it. Moore isn’t just running a camp; indeed, he’s engineering an ecosystem where resilience, like Shough’s, becomes the Saints’ new normal. Undoubtedly, they laced the cleats. And the playbook’s cracked. Bourbon Street’s next act starts in the sweat-soaked fields of Metairie. Who’s ready for kickoff?
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