AsylumGuido

Didn't want this to get lost in the roster mega-thread. Chris referred to this there ...

Saints head coach Dennis Allen says Taysom Hill will focus on playing tight end

Published: Mar 29, 2022 at 09:01 AM

Kevin Patra
Around the NFL Writer

With Sean Payton stepping away from the New Orleans Saints football program, it appears  Taysom Hill 's run as an everyday quarterback could be ending as well.

Speaking Tuesday at the NFL's Annual League Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, new Saints head coach Dennis Allen told reporters the plan is for Hill to focus on tight end, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

In five seasons under Payton, Hill has been used as a do-it-all Swiss Army Knife player. The 31-year-old has been a QB, WR, TE, RB and special teams ace.

The past two seasons, Hill has started nine games under center, as Payton saw him as a potential quarterbacking option who could be a dual-threat from the position. While he brought a diverse skillset to the position, Hill proved to be mostly inconsistent as a passer. Most of the Saints' success with Hill under center came when he ran the ball.

For his career, Hill has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,025 yards with eight TDs and eight INTs. In 2021, he completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 978 yards with four TDs and five INTs.

With the Saints re-signing  Jameis Winston  to be the starter, Hill focusing on the tight end makes sense for New Orleans, which has a need at the position. In addition, it will allow the Saints offense to get Hill on the field more often and provide them additional chances to use him in various ways.

Expect more of the short-yardage and gadget plays from Hill than we've seen earlier in his career coming in 2022.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

AsylumGuido

AsylumGuido

AsylumGuido

This makes Jameis the clear cut #1 and allows Taysom to bulk up as he was two years ago with the hopes of being the QB out of the picture. It also helps fill the TE void to a degree.

papz

I'd like to see him play some special teams again as well. It gave the unit an extra spark.

dizzle88

He's already better than Trautman, so he should get plenty of playing time.

SaintGnome

Honestly, with his concussion history for his own sake I hope we limit his special teams + running back roles. He's not going to do us any good in the tent.

AsylumGuido

AsylumGuido

I can see Taysom lining up as a wildcat in certain situations and still be a threat to throw.

SmashMouth

It shouldn't prevent any kind of trickery to keep the defenses guessing...