Saints Confirm Huge QB Announcement for Kellen Moore After Derek Carr Confirmed Injury Update

Did the Saints‘ QB room get a bit too crowded? When the Saints announced Derek Carr‘s injury two weeks before the draft, it was clear they would go after a QB. The team ended up selecting Louisville QB Tyler Shough in the second round. With Shough’s addition, the QB room started to feel a little too crowded. Kellen Moore now has five QBs on the roster. So naturally, it was time for the team to open the door for someone.

The Saints’ QB room already featured Derek Carr, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and Ben DiNucci. And so, one of them had to walk out the exit door after the draft. That name was Ben DiNucci. On Tuesday, the 28-year-old took to social media to announce that the Saints had released him. “The NFL is a tough business. Always has been and always will be. Got released by the Saints this morning. Control what I can control and go back to work,” DiNucci wrote in his post on X. His time in New Orleans was brief. DiNucci originally joined the Saints’ practice squad in December after Derek went down with an injury.

Originally drafted by the Cowboys, Ben began his NFL career in 2020. Interestingly, at that time, Kellen Moore was serving as the Cowboys’ OC. Having worked with Moore before, DiNucci was already familiar with his playbook. But that’s not the direction the Saints’ brass wanted to take. And honestly, the decision to cut him from the roster wasn’t all that surprising. There wasn’t much of a contractual commitment between Ben and New Orleans to begin with.

DiNucci isn’t the only one who had to face the roster cut, though. DE Ryder Anderson also had to bid adieu to the team as the Saints worked to comply with the NFL’s 90-man offseason roster limit. Like DiNucci, Anderson spent most of his time on the practice squad, barely seeing any action on the gridiron.

With the roster trimmed and changes already underway, the biggest question still looms at the top of the depth chart. And that is Derek Carr’s health status.

Derek Carr breaks his silence on injury

Ever since the Saints revealed Derek Carr’s injury, wild theories have been flying. Many believed the team was inventing the injury to release him quietly. Because if they cut ties with a $150 million QB without reason, fans would slam the front office for poor decision-making. But an injury could soften the blow and silence the noise. 

Carr remained quiet for three weeks. The QB finally cleared the air this weekend, speaking about his injury during a guest sermon at Church LV in Las Vegas. The 34-year-old called out media outlets and social media users for speculating about the nature of his injury. Confirming that he is dealing with a shoulder issue, Carr said, “I have an MRI report to prove it. The team knows about it, we’ve been in constant communication.” He mentioned that he and the Saints have been consistently discussing his injury situation throughout the offseason. “There’s nothing wrong. We’re figuring it out, and we’re gonna go forward with that,” he added.

Not only did Derek Carr speak about his injury, but he also opened up about a personal struggle, sharing that his wife, Heather, recently suffered a miscarriage. The QB has not been at the Saints’ facility since the offseason began. “I say all that to say, let’s be people that don’t judge and point fingers or assume the worst when you don’t really know what someone is going through. Amen?” Carr said. “We’ve been taking care of our family. If it’s going to be faith, family, football, it’s going to be faith, family, football, no matter what the situation is.” Absolutely.

As Carr battles through both personal and physical hurdles, the question remains: will he be ready to return to the gridiron in 2025? Or will Tyler Shough, with a golden opportunity in hand, take the reins for the Saints?