With the New Orleans Saints allowing Jameis Winston to walk away in free agency, the team now has to make its decision on who will replace him to play backup to starting quarterback Derek Carr.

Carr himself has been lackluster overall, and there should be no doubting that that Saints should be looking for his replacement sooner rather than later. But QB2, as many teams have found out the hard way over recent times, is one of the most underrated positions in football.

For the Saints, that will come down to Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler, who will continue to battle it out until the end of the preseason.

Here's a look into everything you need to know about both players, and how things have gone for their offseason so far:

Jake Haener: Career history, what he brings to the table

If you've ever gotten the sense there's just a little bit of a chip on Jake Haener's shoulder, your instincts are absolutely correct. Despite his dominance at the G5 level and the way he quietly performed as one of the nation's upper-tier quarterbacks at Fresno State, he received practically zero attention from the national media.

Haener battled with injury throughout his career, but when he was healthy, played at an elite level. After playing through injury and adversity in the 2021 season, on top of the work he put in to come back from it, Haener was carted off the field with a severe injury during the 2022 season before making his return once more.

Knocked for his height and entering the draft process as one of the older quarterbacks, Haener wasn't the least bit concerned about the narratives that surrounded him, and was confident in what he brings to the table as a quarterback when I spoke with him at the Senior Bowl.

“I feel like people have gotten a pretty good judgment of what I can do and I think it will continue to get better," Haener told me. "Here I feel like is kind of a rough estimate of what accuracy looks like. How the ball comes off my hand. I feel like people can see that I throw a nice ball and that I have the arm strength there. When I get with guys I’m comfortable with, a system I’m comfortable in, I will continue to get better.”

Haener has consistently impressed with who he is as a vocal leader, maturity, football IQ, level of mental processing, adequate arm strength and improvisation ability.

He'll look to carry that on as the Saints' QB2 in 2024, with the hopes of building into something even more.

Spencer Rattler: Career history, what he brings to the table

Rattler was a much more highly-touted prospect throughout his college career, at one time projected to be a No. 1 overall NFL Draft selection. He suffered some setbacks at Oklahoma and was ultimately replaced by Caleb Williams, who went on to transfer to USC and become a Heisman Trophy winner and the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft himself.

Rattler experienced a resurgence when he relocated from Norman to Columbia, South Carolina to join the Gamecocks. Despite the 5-7 overall record the Gamecocks posted that may have caused Rattler to be more overlooked, those who watch the tape can see just how much he individually helped turn things around for Shane Beamer's team, which featured a lackluster supporting cast and largely incompetent offensive line.

Even up against these circumstances, he finished out the 2023 season with a career-high completion rate of 68.9%, 3,186 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, later named the Senior Bowl MVP at the offseason showcase.

From an intangibles and a tangibles perspective, Rattler turned heads with his leadership ability, ability to perform in the face of pressure, arm talent, accuracy, speed of release and ability to adjust and get the job done off-platform.

“I can make any throw on the field. I’m a quick learner, fast processor and can get in and out of the huddle and move the team,” Rattler told me in January. ” And I’m just confident in my ability. I, humbly, believe I can stack up against anybody. I truly believe that.”

He'll look to carry that on in a larger capacity in the NFL moving forward.

How it's going at Saints training camp

Haener looked to be the quarterback with the edge early on in the offseason, but it's become a closer competition between he and Rattler as time has progressed.

Rattler has turned heads in the latest Saints practices, earning praise from the likes of teammate Chris Olave.

“Rattler’s arm talent is off the charts... I want to see him in action, but from my first impression, he’s going to be a really good player," Olave said.

As of Saturday's fourth session, Rattler had put together what may his best practice so far since he was drafted by the Saints. It's too early to jump the gun, but if Rattler consistently has outings like this, it's going to be hard for Haener to overtake him and hold onto it.

Final verdict: Spencer Rattler

There's still a long ways to go between now and the final Saints preseason game, which will be held against the Tennessee Titans in the Caesars Superdome on Aug. 25. But, for now, it appears this is Rattler's show and that he has more upside with a higher ceiling than Haener moving forward.

What if Jake Haener gets the nod?

It wouldn't be the end of the world if the coaches want Haener to be the next man up. Far from it. The best situation for Rattler might be for him to be the third quarterback on game days so he can watch and learn before being thrust into the spotlight. The Saints are committed to starting Carr for at least the 2024 season, so in their perfect world we won't see much of his backup either way. Still, this has been an entertaining battle to follow thus far, and it's far from over with all three preseason games ahead of us.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Spencer Rattler vs. Jake Haener: Who should be the Saints' new backup QB?