Who Should I Start? Skylar Thompson or Jake Haener

Friday, August 22, 11:36 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Skylar Thompson completed 11 of his 13 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 19-10 preseason victory against the Carolina Panthers. Thompson took over for Mason Rudolph in the second quarter and orchestrated three consecutive scoring drives. He capped his opening series with a perfect five-for-five passing line, highlighted by a 24-yard strike to Lance McCutcheon in the end zone to put Pittsburgh ahead. Thompson's strong play this summer has likely been enough to earn him a roster spot somewhere, though it's uncertain at this point if it will be in Pittsburgh. The aforementioned Rudolph is likely to enter the season as the team's primary backup behind Aaron Rodgers, but if the Steelers place rookie Will Howard (finger) on IR, they could opt to keep Thompson as their QB3 or explore trade options.

Tuesday, August 26, 11:17 AM

The New Orleans Saints are waiving quarterback Jake Haener, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. A fourth-round pick by New Orleans in 2023, Haener started training camp in competition with Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough for the team's QB1 role. Haener had clearly fallen behind Rattler and Shough in recent weeks, and he will now get a chance to latch on elsewhere. The 26-year-old played in eight games (one start) for the Saints in 2024, completing 18 of 39 pass attempts for 226 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Haener may have an opportunity to sign with another team as a backup, but he's unlikely to be fantasy-relevant in 2025.