Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has played spectacular football for the New Orleans Saints down the stretch of this season. Going into the Week 18 season finale against the Atlanta Falcons, Shough has made a late-season surge to be a possible favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. This despite not even getting his first start until Week 9 and essentially only playing a half of football before that.
In his eight starts, Shough has led the Saints to a 5-3 record. Over those starts, he’s completed 62.6% of his throws with an average of 262 passing yards per game, including two 300-yard outings and two more of over 270 yards, with 11 total touchdowns. Shough might have a bit of an uphill battle to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, but no rookie has played better over the last eight games. If he wins it, he’ll become the fifth New Orleans player to win the award.
Marshon Lattimore is the only Saints player to ever win Defensive Rookie of the Year, taking home the honors in 2017. Three New Orleans offensive players have won Rookie of the Year accolades. Here’s a look at which players accomplished that feat.
George Rogers (1981)
After winning the Heisman Trophy with the South Carolina Gamecocks, George Rogers was selected first overall by the Saints in the 1981 NFL draft. He remains the only player drafted by New Orleans with the first overall choice. The pick immediately paid dividends for New Orleans.
Rogers rushed for 1,674 yards in 1981, leading the NFL in rushing and setting a single-season New Orleans franchise record that still stands. His 378 carries also led the league, as he ran for 13 touchdowns and had nine 100-yard rushing games. He ran away with Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, taking 65 (77.4%) of a possible 84 votes. Rogers played just four seasons for the Saints, with drug problems and questions over work ethic eventually leading to a 1985 trade to the Washington Redskins. While with New Orleans, Rogers rushed for over 1,000 yards in 1983 and had over 900 yards in 1984. His 4,267 rushing yards as a Saint was a career franchise record for 21 years until Deuce McAllister broke it in 2005 and remains fourth on the team’s all-time list.
Rueben Mayes (1986)
Despite 1,637 rushing yards as a junior and 1,236 yards as a senior for the Washington State Cougars, Rueben Mayes fell to the third round of the 1986 NFL draft. He was taken by the Saints with the 57th overall selection, with 12 backs picked ahead of him. Among that list was fellow future Saints Hall of Fame back Dalton Hilliard. As a rookie, Mayes outplayed all of them.
Mayes rushed for 1,353 yards and 8 touchdowns in 1986, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and earning a Pro Bowl berth. He ran for over 100 yards six times, including one 200-yard outing. That production earned Mayes 74 of a possible 79 votes (88.1%) for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Rams and future Saints quarterback Jim Everett and Broncos wideout Mark Jackson were among five players who got just one vote.
Injuries derailed the promising career of Mayes. He rushed for 917 yards in only 12 games during a strike-shortened 1987 campaign, but would suffer Achilles and knee injuries that cost him two of the next four years after that and significantly slowed his effectiveness. Mayes had 3,408 rushing yards in four years with New Orleans, seventh on the franchise’s all-time career list.
Alvin Kamara (2017)
Alvin Kamara’s collegiate career began at Alabama before ending with the Tennessee Volunteers as an all-purpose threat. While coveted by coach Sean Payton, Kamara was a bit overlooked in the 2017 NFL draft. He’d tumble to the third round, where he was snatched up by Payton and the Saints with the 67th overall selection. The fifth back chosen in that draft, Kamara has made 31 other NFL teams regret on passing on him since.
As a rookie, Kamara didn’t even see significant playing time until Week 4 and would share backfield duties with Mark Ingram. Once used, he instantly became a vital part of one of the best offenses in the NFL. Kamara rushed for 728 yards in 2017, running for 8 scores and averaging an eye-popping 6.1 per carry. He also pulled in 81 receptions for another 826 yards an additional 5 touchdowns while adding another score via kickoff return. Kamara took 28 of a possible 50 votes, edging out Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (21 votes) for rookie of the year honors.
Alvin Kamara has been the focal point of the New Orleans offense and a model of consistency for the last nine years. Kamara has 7,250 rushing yards, 606 receptions for 4,948 yards, and 87 total touchdowns. He is tops in franchise history in rushing yardage, rushing scores, total yards, and total touchdowns along with several other single-season team records.
Will Tyler Shough join Lattimore, Kamara, Mayes, and Rogers as rookie of the year winners? His play is certainly deserving, but it may take another outstanding performance from Shough as the Saints close out their year against the rival Atlanta Falcons.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Looking back on New Orleans Saints’ past Rookie of the Year winners
