Shough Has Been Playing Through Two Broken Bones in His Hand

Tyler Shough is listed active and remains the backup quarterback on the depth chart, but it came out this week that he has been playing with two broken bones in his non-throwing hand. He is still on the roster, still available, and apparently has been for a while.

The detail lands differently on a team that has been piecing together its offense all season. Spencer Rattler is the starter, but Shough has been the contingency plan throughout — and that contingency plan was quietly compromised. In a year when the Saints have burned through four running backs, lost their top rookie receiver to injured reserve, and watched Chris Olave's status flip to questionable, the revelation that the backup quarterback was also playing hurt just adds another line to a long list.

What it raises, more than anything, is a process question. This is a lost season — the Saints finished 2025 at 6–11 and the 2026 version has not looked like a correction. Playing a backup through a hand injury in that context is a decision, not an inevitability. Whether it was Shough's call, the staff's, or some combination, it is worth noting that the organization now knows it made it.