Taysom Hill had already covered head to foot with his injury luck for the 2021 season, but it’s the hand that will draw the most eyes heading into Week 14.
The Saints quarterback suffered a “Mallet Finger”injury in the first quarter of a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He finished the game in a splint, and fully intends to play through the issue, starting with the Jets this week. How effective will he be? And what will the approach be to protect his injured middle finger? That’s all a “work in progress.”
He’s already tried multiple options, Hill said Wednesday, and he felt comfortable with the one he’s chosen. He could make all the throws in practice, and that’s a good start. But there are more options on the table that he’ll consider.
“It’s a little limiting because you don’t have every joint that you’re able to grip the ball,” Hill said. "So your grip doesn’t feel as strong when you’re gripping it and throwing the ball. So we’re trying to do things to compensate for that.”
Hill made some nice throws in the 27-17 loss to the Cowboys after the injury. His first throw after coming back into the game was a 27-yard dart up the seam to Juwan Johnson. That drive ended in a touchdown. Hill also found Deonte Harris for a long touchdown in the 4th quarter, but it was what came between those throws that marred the result. Hill tossed four interceptions, two of which were particularly ugly. One bounced off veteran wide receiver Kenny Stills’ hands in the red zone. He was waived earlier this week. Another came as his arm was hit in the pocket.
Regardless, Hill’s ability to grip a football will be under the microscope. The splint, whatever it looks like, will limit his ability to hold the ball firmly with that finger. Compensating for the grip strength will be something the Saints work on throughout the week.
Related
"I’ve kept it splinted since it happened. Really I haven’t had any pain when it’s in the splint,” Hill said. "I think the sensation of gripping the ball, throwing the ball, that has changed. That’s been the biggest thing."
The injury has a few routes for treatment, and Hill is planning to avoid surgery if possible. The non-surgical route requires the finger to be splinted up to 8 weeks, which will help correct the ligament damage that affects the final knuckle on the hand, forcing the tip of the finger downward. There's no pain when it's splinted, Hill said, making the issue more about performance. He was battling a painful plantar fascia tear in his foot prior to Week 13, but he appeared fine playing through that with a 100-yard rushing performance.
But if Hill sounds less than sure the injury will hold up in an NFL game, that's an accurate reading. He's a "full-go" in practice and has no intention of limiting himself or his expectations, but he did tell coaches that if they saw something to indicate he wasn't healthy enough to play, he'd respect the decision. Even if that was the case, he'd try to contribute however he's able.
The offense appears like it will get back at least one star in Alvin Kamara, who missed the past four games with a knee injury. But Mark Ingram tested positive for COVID and is likely ruled out due to the NFL's protocols regarding the virus.
Related
"I’m a team guy, I’ll be available to play at whatever capacity that looks like," Hill said. "But my mindset is to prepare to play at full capacity, and we’ll go from there. I don’t know how else to approach it.”
And before walking away from his press availability Wednesday afternoon, Hill gave a commitment and a potential title for the Saints' 2021 season: "I'm going to give it my all, whatever that is."