Tag: Taysom Hill

LOOK: Taysom Hill announces the birth of his son

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill had a great explanation for missing two days of training camp practice: the birth of his son Beau

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The New Orleans Saints were without Taysom Hill for two days of practice in training camp, and now we know why: Hill’s family just added one more. Hill and his wife Emily announced the birth of their son Beau Nixon Hill on Saturday in a post from the quarterback’s official Instagram account.

It’s the latest and biggest move for Hill’s household, following the one-year contract extension he signed earlier this summer. Hill, who will be celebrating his 30th birthday on Sunday, spent his offseason preparing to compete with Jameis Winston for the right to back up Drew Brees, and maybe set himself up to start under center as soon as 2021.

But asking whether Hill will be up to the task is a question for another day. For now, he’s focused on being a great father, and we’re certainly wishing the best to him and his young family.

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WATCH: Taysom Hill connects with QB-turned-TE Tommy Stevens

New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill threw to rookie QB-turned-TE Tommy Stevens, a Mississippi State and Penn State product changing positions.

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Here’s a highlight you don’t see every day, fresh from New Orleans Saints training camp. Quarterback Taysom Hill, who has spent more time playing tight end and receiver, threw to rookie tight end Tommy Stevens, who mostly played under center at Mississippi State and Penn State in college but is converting to a new position in the NFL. You can see it for yourself in the video we’ve embedded below, or by following this link.

It’s not much — the play appears to be from a low-tempo, offense-versus-air drill in walkthroughs — but it’s something like football. And it’s our first look at Stevens in his new jersey number. Plus, every opportunity Hill gets to drop back and pass as a quarterback is valuable experience that should help him in his battle with Jameis Winston for the right to back up Drew Brees.

Now, where all of these players will be in a year or two is undecided. Hill and Winston could be competing for the starting job next summer, and Stevens might be the new version of Hill as a dynamic, do-it-all athlete. Brees may be preparing to call Notre Dame football games for NBC. Or we might be looking at a new scenario entirely. Whatever the case may be, there’s no doubting this newest iteration of the Saints should be as entertaining as ever.

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WATCH: Jameis Winston throws a dime at Saints practice

It didn’t take long for Jameis Winston to impress at New Orleans Saints training camp, connecting with Tre’Quan Smith on a huge deep pass.

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It shouldn’t surprise anyone, but Jameis Winston might have the best arm at New Orleans Saints training camp. The Heisman Trophy winner and former first-overall draft pick has the credentials to make the case for it, and now he’s put up some highlights in practice to drive the point home.

Winston connected with third-year pro Tre’Quan Smith on a corner route deep downfield, putting the ball where only his receiver could get it. And credit to P.J. Williams, the defensive back in coverage on the play, for running with Smith in stride all the way. But when a quarterback and receiver are in sync like this, even the best cornerbacks will struggle to make a play:

In his media conference call after practice, Saints coach Sean Payton was energized by Winston’s performance: “Look he’s doing well, I’ve been pleased. He’s in great shape. He’s got a real live arm, I love his attitude and his work ethic. He’s doing very well.”

Winston has endeared himself quickly to his new coaching staff and teammates, but it’s unclear whether he’s won the backup job behind Drew Brees. Taysom Hill has the inside track on that role given his experience in the system. But if Winston can keep making plays like this in practice, it might only be a matter of time before he’s the next man up.

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WATCH: Emmanuel Butler picks up where he left off at Saints training camp

Emmanuel Butler impressed again at New Orleans Saints training camp, bullying defenders while connecting with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill

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The darling of last year’s New Orleans Saints training camp was rookie wide receiver Emmanuel Butler, who made the jump from Northern Arizona to give defenders fits all throughout the summer. But an injury after an awkward landing in practice slowed him down, and he only suited up for one preseason game before spending the year on the practice squad.

That experience must have paid off, because Butler has quickly resumed his spot in the training camp highlight reel. The 23-year old stood out in one-on-one drills, outleaping Ceedy Duce (the safety formerly known as C.J. Gardner-Johnson) for a high pass from Jameis Winston. See it for yourself:

But it wasn’t the first time Butler outplayed Duce on Monday. He also connected with Taysom Hill on a route deep downfield, catching the pass in stride after having separated from No. 22. It’s a beaut:

We’ll see if Butler is able to play his way into the first-team offense and draw some targets from Drew Brees. It’s encouraging to see him doing so well in individual work, but his success in a bigger spot with the starting offense will do more to decide whether he makes the opening-day roster or spends another season on the practice squad.

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All-Pro Saints returner Deonte Harris placed on reserve/COVID-19 list

The New Orleans Saints designated wide receiver Deonte Harris, a 2019 Pro Bowler and AP All-Pro, to their reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday.

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The latest round of COVID-19 testing from around the NFL has returned results, and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Deonte Harris was designated to the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported the news.

It’s important to remember that this alone doesn’t mean Harris has been infected with COVID-19; his test result could have been a false positive. Two of his Saints teammates rejoined the team last week after initially being listed on reserve/COVID-19, with linebacker Kaden Ellis and long snapper Zach Wood spending a few days away from the Saints until twice retesting negative.

So stay tuned for an update on Harris in the days ahead. He’s probably already scheduled a retest over the weekend.

Harris was a breakout star for the Saints in 2019, playing well enough in training camp and the preseason to earn a spot on the opening-day roster. He went on to earn recognition at the Pro Bowl and on the AP All-Pro list after racking up a league-leading 338 punt return yards, also ranking up NFL leaders in kick return yards (644). He was sensational in the playoffs, too, shredding the Minnesota Vikings with 133 kick return yards and another 44 yards off of punts. Not bad for a rookie out of small-school Assumption College. Hopefully he’ll be cleared to return to the squad soon.

In the meantime, the Saints have a few other candidates to try out for returning punts and kickoffs. Undrafted rookie Marquez Callaway was a successful return man at Tennessee, fielding 40 punts for 543 return yards and three touchdowns in his four-year career. Callaway also returned 8 kickoffs for 86 yards.

On the other hand, free agent pickup Ty Montgomery has plenty of NFL experience in the kicking game. He’s returned 53 kicks in 58 games played, totaling 1,158 return yards. It’s possible the Saints lean on Callaway for punt returns with Montgomery chipping in on kicks during Harris’s absence.

Saints veterans like Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill have dabbled in the return game in the past; Kamara included a 106-yard kick return touchdown in his 2017 rookie year highlights. But both players are more integral to the offense now than they’ve been in the past, so it would make sense for the team to try out some of the fresh talent joining them in training camp.

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Jared Cook shares his thoughts on Tommy Stevens moving to tight end

The New Orleans Saints are converting quarterback Tommy Stevens to tight end, which Jared Cook expects to be challenging for the rookie.

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Jared Cook has a great appreciation for how friendly the New Orelans Saints offense can be to a good tight end. He had one of his best seasons in his first year with the team, setting new personal-bests in touchdowns scored (9) and yards gained per catch (16.4). He also notch the second-highest marks of his career in yards per game (50.4) and catch rate (66.2%), hitting his stride with Drew Brees in the second half of the season.

But he’ll be the first to admit that it’s a tough playbook to pick up, especially for a rookie. That’s the task facing Tommy Stevens, a college quarterback at Mississippi State who is converting to tight end at Saints training camp. When asked if the transition is going to be hard on Stevens, all Cook could do was nod the affirmative.

“Pretty tough,” Cook said during Thursday’s media conference call after practice. “The first week he was kind of running with the quarterbacks and now he has transitioned a little bit full-time into the tight ends.”

Stevens exchanged his No. 1 jersey for one carrying No. 85, and he’ll likely spend the rest of training camp working on that position switch. It was kind of inevitable; the Saints drafted him as a possible backup or successor to Taysom Hill, a do-it-all threat who has both thrown and caught passes while chipping in as a blocker.

To Cook, the biggest test for Stevens will be a shift in attitude from the detached, always-aware quarterback to being someone who is always ready to scrap in the trenches: “So tight ends are all about the mindset. It is about what you bring to the table, how dirty you want to get your nose. And I think that’s one of the biggest things he has to get used to as playing tight end.”

This isn’t new territory for Stevens, which should help ease his transition. He ran many of the plays designed for Hill by former Saints assistant Joe Brady when they were both at Penn State, developing familiarity with the receiving end of the a passing offense. He caught 14 passes to gain 62 yards in college, scoring two touchdowns through the air. It’s not much, but it’s not a bad place for the 6-foot-5, 253 pounder to start from.

And that gives Cook some confidence, too. The way he sees it, once Stevens can attack each day with the right mindset, the rest will follow. He continued, “And then just technique stuff (will challenge Stevens). He catches the ball really well. It’s just all about blocking technique. It is about how you come out of your stance. It is about his releases off the line that he has to get used to.”

Cook mentioned that Stevens has been working individually with tight ends coach Dan Campbell — who himself played for the Saints in 2009 — and assistant coach Declan Doyle, doing what he can to get on the fast track for success. The Saints have tried to convert a few different players to tight end in recent years, like wide receiver Dan Arnold, defensive end Mitch Loewen, but maybe Stevens has what it takes to pull off a big change from quarterback.

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Sean Payton’s early take on Jameis Winston, ‘a guy that is not afraid to work’

Jameis Winston arrived to New Orleans Saints training camp with all of his new teammates, and Sean Payton has liked what he’s seen so far.

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One of the most intriguing storylines at New Orleans Saints training camp this summer is the development of Jameis Winston, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise quarterback who is now competing for a job as a backup. Winston agreed to sign with the Saints on a one-year deal worth a fraction of his market value for the opportunity to learn from Drew Brees and Sean Payton, but the NFL’s new rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic means we won’t get to see much of that process.

And whatever Payton’s taken away from his initial work with Winston is being kept tight to his vest.

“Look, he’s been in what we’re doing meeting-wise, walkthrough-wise, lifting,” Payton said about Winston in a media conference call. “We’re out on the field during the walkthroughs. So just like everyone else, he’s in good shape, he’s lost weight, he’s lean. He’s a guy that is not afraid to work. He’s doing well, he’s fit in well.”

The Saints spent their first week together going through waves of COVID-19 testing, requiring players to turn in multiple negative tests before they would be allowed into the practice facility. So Payton probably isn’t bluffing or protecting any trade secrets when the first thing he can say about Winston is that he’s lost some weight after trying out a new vegan diet.

Still, it would be nice to get an up-close look at Winston going through passing drills with Brees, Taysom Hill, and rookie draft pick Tommy Stevens. Winston’s Buccaneers performance experienced nearly as many highs (leading the NFL with 5,109 passing yards last year) as lows (throwing an NFL-worst 30 interceptions in 2019), so he’ll be looking for greater consistency and better decision-making with the Saints. If anyone is going to bring out his best, it’ll be Payton and his coaching staff.

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Saints clock in at No. 4 in ESPN’s future NFL power rankings

Thanks to careful roster construction, the New Orleans Saints have set themselves up well for the future in ESPN’s latest NFL power rankings

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While the Drew Brees era might be drawing to a close for the New Orleans Saints, the team is well-positioned for whatever comes next. That’s the thesis statement from their placement in the latest future NFL power rankings from ESPN, in which a panel of experts rated every team’s roster composition, quarterback situation, draft success, as well as the coaching staff and front office structures.

The Saints have strung together three years of double-digit win seasons, picking up help along the way with free agents like Demario Davis, Jared Cook, Malcolm Jenkins, and Emmanuel Sanders. The only thing holding them back is their hit rate on draft picks, which ESPN ranked 23rd in the league. Still, even that wart couldn’t keep the Saints from ranking lower than No. 4 overall.

Here’s what ESPN’s Field Yates had to say about why the Saints were put on such a high pedestal:

There’s a case to be made for the Saints as the most complete roster in football right now, and the team is coached by the brilliant Sean Payton. While New Orleans has a year-to-year approach surrounding Drew Brees‘ future, the team has already invested in a developmental player in Taysom Hill that it hopes can be their “guy” going forward.

However, there is skepticism that Hill might be “the guy” the Saints have talked him up to be. After all, he’s completed fewer passes to his teammates than Jameis Winston did while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Winston is now in line to compete with Hill a year or two down the road. If Winston can clean up his mistakes, Hill must show serious growth as a passer to hold onto his heir-apparent status.

And while the Saints were rated with the NFL’s best roster, it does have a few weak points that could come into play in the years ahead. All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis is a free agent after the 2020 season and already over 30, with few healthy, young options around him (co-starters Kiko Alonso and Alex Anzalone each suffered season-ending injuries last year, while aging backup Craig Robertson is also a soon-to-be free agent). The Saints are putting a lot of faith in rookie draft pick Zack Baun to solidify the position.

But let’s circle back to the good news. The Saints have carefully assembled one of the strongest rosters you’ll see around the NFL, including a young, talented offensive line and a quarterback’s best friend in superstar wideout Michael Thomas. With Payton calling the shots, fans should have confidence that the Saints are ready for whatever comes next whether Hill, Winston, or someone else is under center once Brees has moved on.

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Jameis Winston parts ways with agent after signing below-market Saints deal

New Orleans Saints backup QB Jameis Winston parted ways with agent Joel Segal after signing a one-year, $1.1 million free agent deal.

A new agent will be representing Jameis Winston when the backup quarterback talks shop with the New Orleans Saints next offseason. Rick Stroud reported for The Tampa Bay Times on Monday that Winston parted ways with agent Joel Segal of Lagardere Sports, months after Winston inked a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Saints earlier this summer. It’s far beneath what Winston could have earned as a starter, which drew a firestorm of reactions from NFL fans across social media.

Segal has represented Winston since 2018, having been hired just before Winston returned from a three-game suspension to start the season. He helped hammer out this heavily-discounted Saints deal but won’t be around when Winston returns to the negotiating table.

Notably, Winston’s decision to change agents comes just days after Patrick Mahomes signed a historic contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs to the tune of half a billion dollars. Winston shouldn’t arrive anywhere close to that yearly salary, even if he ends up in a best-case scenario in 2020, but Mahomes’ record-setting deal is the kind of rising tide that lifts all ships. It’s a safe bet that Winston will be expecting something closer to the $60 million his predecessor, Teddy Bridgewater, earned in free agency. But even that may be too low. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out when Winston hires his new agent.

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Taysom Hill is Madden NFL 21’s third-fastest quarterback

New Orleans Saints backup Taysom Hill has earned the third-fastest speed grade for quarterbacks in Madden NFL 21, trailing Lamar Jackson.

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It shouldn’t surprise anyone which quarterback sits on top of the speed ratings in this year’s Madden NFL game from EA Sports: Baltimore Ravens breakout Lamar Jackson, the reigning league MVP who led the NFL with 6.9 yards per carry last year. Jackson racked up 1,206 rushing yards while frustrating defenders by his ability to keep outmaneuver them and keep plays alive in the backfield when under pressure.

However, what’s fascinating is who earned a spot not far behind him: New Orleans Saints backup Taysom Hill, who has made waves at tight end, receiver, and even on special teams. Hill has only moonlighted at quarterback so far, but the 29-year old doesn’t lack for athletic traits. That’s reflected in his speed grade (90), trailing only Jackson (96) and Arizona Cardinals passer Kyler Murray (91). Not bad at all.

Hill managed a very respectable 5.8 yards per attempt last year, though he only ran 27 times compared to Jackson’s 176 carries. How defenses would treat Hill as a full-time starter with the exponentially greater rushes is anyone’s guess, but fans can try it out when Madden NFL 21 releases later this summer.

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