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In the two weeks after Drew Brees injured his right thumb, Taysom Hill’s game day role with the New Orleans Saints took a necessary dip.

He played in just 10 combined offensive snaps in wins against Seattle and Dallas, and he’s seen a dramatic reduction in his special teams work as well. While he serves as the No. 2 quarterback, the team has to be more careful with the spots where Hill risks injury being on the field.

But Hill played 15 snaps against Tampa Bay last week, and he did so doing something we have not seen much out of him in the regular season — running the offense in a standard quarterback role, instead of entering as a zone read change-of-pace.



Part of that, coach Sean Payton said, was the game plan. But part of it was also a recognition of a look the Buccaneers gave him the first time he put Hill in under center.

“We saw an adjustment they made defensively, which was really intriguing, in the middle of the field,” Payton said. “The safety kind of came down into the box and gave us, really, almost like a no-deep look. And so right away we started trying to find ways to have him throw it.”

Hill dropped back to pass twice, completing his first pass of the season for an 18-yard gain and turning the other play into a positive scramble.

Payton saw an opening to give Hill more opportunity and he made the in-game adjustment. “It’s the best,” Hill said.

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