The Saints will be without rookie quarterback Jake Haener for the first six games of the season due to a violation of the NFL's policy on performance enhancing substances.
The news was announced Wednesday afternoon, days before the Saints open their season against the Tennessee Titans at the Caesars Superdome.
It's unclear what prompted the violation, but it could've been for a variety of items on the NFL's banned substance list. He's the third Saints player to be handed a six-game ban in recent seasons, including David Onyemata prior to the 2021 season and Kawaan Baker prior to the 2022 season.
From a competitive perspective the suspension will not change much, with Haener in a developmental season and unlikely to see the field anyway barring a significant string of injuries. The rookie out of Fresno State took the most snaps of any Saints QB in the preseason. The high point of that action came in the preseason opener, when he led a late-game scoring drive to set up a walk-off field goal by Blake Grupe. He was expected to slot behind starter Derek Carr, backup Jameis Winston and possibly even Taysom Hill on the depth chart when all four QBs are available.
Haener will be eligible to return to the Saints' active roster on Monday, Oct. 16. He'll join Saints running back Alvin Kamara on the suspended list, with the RB out for the first three games.
