Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler to start vs. Buccaneers with Derek Carr out

It’s time for Spencer Rattler to make his NFL debut.

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen announced on Wednesday that Rattler will start in their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Rattler will start in place of Derek Carr, who is .

The Saints selected Rattler in the fifth round of the NFL Draft earlier this year. He threw for a career-high 3,186 yards and 19 touchdowns last season at South Carolina. He’s yet to play a game for the Saints this season, but he will now be the fifth rookie quarterback across the league to start a game this fall.

Carr left the Saints’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs early on Monday night after taking a hard hit in the fourth quarter. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday, and he’s now expected to miss multiple games recovering from the oblique injury. A specific timeline isn’t known. Carr was initially replaced by Jake Haener on Monday night. Haener, a second-year quarterback out of Fresno State, went 2-of-7 for 17 yards in the final few minutes of that game. He had thrown just a single pass attempt before that loss.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.