The Taysom Hill question is always a fascinating one: What exactly is he going to be doing in practice?
A year ago, that answer was move into the tight end room and work with that group. It was a significant change, but one that didn't necessarily result in a hugely changed role throughout the season. It wasn't until midway through the season that Hill started taking reps at quarterback. That changed on Day 1 with the do-it-all player working almost exclusively at the QB position.
“You throw him a pass and he throws it back just as good," Derek Carr said after the practice. "That’s pretty interesting. He’s got a cannon arm, he can run routes, he’s tough, all those things. You can see why he’s been such a productive football player.”
Hill took one set of 7-on-7 drills during practice after going through QB drills behind Carr, Jameis Winston and Jake Haener. Hill completed both of his passing attempts, and also caught a pass from Carr later in the drills. Haener didn't get into any team drill snaps on Day 1, a split that will be interesting to track as the offseason progresses. It'll also be interesting to see how the Saints operate the Taysom snaps with Carr under center, a player who traditionally hasn't come off the field in high-leverage moments like how Drew Brees, Andy Dalton and Winston did the past few seasons.
Hill's role reached peak does a bit of everything in 2022, with 96 rushing attempts for 575 yards and 7 TDs, completions on 13 of 19 passing attempts for 240 yards and 2 TDs, and 9 catches for 77 yards and another pair of TDs. All of his rushing attempts came while lined up at QB and his 12 total touchdowns accounted for were second on the team to only Andy Dalton.
“That’s kind of been his role since he’s been here, and we’re going to utilize him in a lot of different roles," Allen said. "He’s a weapon offensively for us that can do a lot of different things, and so our thought is to get him involved in a lot of different areas.”
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If anything, the only position he didn't really fit into was the tight end slot that he is listed to be. The Saints have added multiple options on the tight end depth chart this offseason in the form of Carr's former teammate Foster Moreau and veteran Jesse James, while Adam Trautman has been traded to the Broncos.
However the position develops in the new Carr-Carmichael scheme, his teammates are confident he can handle it. Carr described Hill as bigger than the stage he was standing on and "faster than my truck." Running back Jamaal Williams described his former BYU quarterback as a "big, buff gazelle" when he gets out into the open field. One thing everyone can agree on: Hill is a unique and important piece of the offense, however he gets on the field and however they have to get him the ball. Oh, and he'll also take on regular special team work, go figure.
“I already knew this was going to happen at the [2017 NFL combine] when he was just doing everything, so he put that out there to everybody that he can do it, and he did a great job at the combine to get into this situation now," Williams said. "So I’m just proud of where he’s at and what he’s been doing.”
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