As Dennis Allen pointed out this week, the term "positionless player" gets thrown around a lot, but it doesn't really make sense to describe Taysom Hill.
He's not without a position, the Saints QB err, TE, err whatever you want to call him performs multiple positions at a high level. DA has a simpler term.
"I look at Taysom Hill as a weapon in a lot of different areas," Allen said in response to a question of whether Hill would still be used in some QB sets when he returns, particularly in the QB power action that has proved so effective in recent years.
The popular notion is that Hill will simply operate as a member of the tight end room in the 2022 offense. While it certainly sounds like he'll be a major part of that group, the role Allen described this week is much more diverse and more in line with the Taysom Hill of 2018/'19 than the more-QB-centric version we saw each of the past two seasons.
He'll have a role as a move tight end and, but that's just one element.
"I look at him as a weapon in the passing game. I look at him as a weapon playing at the quarterback position. I look at him with the ball in his hands. I look at him on special teams in a lot of different areas," Allen said. "So there’s a ton of places where Taysom Hill can help this team win, and we want to utilize him in all those roles."
It was the second consecutive day that Allen was asked about Hill, and the second day he referenced his ability to throw the ball as well as play on special teams. Those skillsets have clearly not left the equation, even if Hill is no longer in contention to be the starting quarterback.
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The abilities on special teams are particularly intriguing, with Hill stepping back from those duties the past two seasons as he worked most in the offseason on refining his QB skills. One of Hill's breakout games came against the Falcons in 2019 when he blocked a punt for a tackle on Thanksgiving, then finished out that same drive with a touchdown on a reverse. The man is an elite athlete wherever you use him, and he's unlikely to be pigeonholed at TE just to simplify things.
We're left to wonder about Hill's role because he's still rehabbing from a the Lisfranc issue suffered win over the Falcons in Week 18 of the 2021 season. He was one of several players at the facility throughout the week getting treatment despite not getting on the field. The team had 100% attendance, a good sign moving ahead toward camp in July.
When Hill does get on the field, we'll get a better idea what type of weapon he'll be in the 2022 season and beyond.
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