Tag: Taysom Hill

Who in the world is Tommy Stevens, and what did the Saints trade to get him?

The New Orleans Saints traded into the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft targeting Mississippi State and Penn State prospect Tommy Stevens

The New Orleans Saints turned plenty of heads in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft by trading their 2021 sixth rounder to the Houston Texans, acquiring pick No. 240: which they used on Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens.

But much like Taysom Hill, Stevens is more than a quarterback. He spoke with local media on a conference call after the pick was announced, describing how his pre-draft communication with New Orleans included teleconference calls and a workout video of him running routes drawn up by Saints coaches.

Stevens transferred to Mississippi State in 2019 after playing at Penn State the previous four years. During that time, he worked with then-assistant coach Joe Brady on a package of plays that featured him running the ball and catches passes. A few years later, Brady expanded that package with Hill in New Orleans before taking his own path to a prominent role in the NFL.

The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Stevens planned to work out at both tight end and wide receiver at the Bulldogs’ pro day, which was cancelled because of the coronavirus. He still went through a virtual workout at his training facility in Florida and sent video to every team in the NFL, but he’s happy with where he landed.

“I think this is the perfect spot for me. I couldn’t think of a better situation,” Stevens said. He’ll have an opportunity to learn Hill’s playbook on offense while providing depth as a passer, which explains why the Saints were willing to go pursue him so hard.

While the Saints have now traded a 2021 third-round pick (in the move up for Zack Baun) and a 2021 sixth-round pick (for Stevens), they are projected to receive compensatory draft picks in both of those rounds after losing a few veteran free agents this offseason. So these trades might be more strategic than they appear at first glance.

Eagles set to give Carson Wentz the ‘Kawhi Leonard’ treatment with selection of Jalen Hurts?

Philadelphia Eagles to use Jalen Hurts like the Saints use Taysom Hill

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Carson Wentz is one of the top-10 quarterbacks in the NFL and during the past three seasons, he’s been outstanding statistically.

The Eagles star finishing second, 13th and 11th in quarterback rating in 2017, 2018 and 2019, but he has missed 13 combined regular-season and playoff games as well.

During that time Wentz has played through various injuries, so it is pertinent that the Eagles help Wentz avoid the big hits and especially the unnecessary ones as well.

The surest way to keep Wentz healthy for the playoffs is to keep him off the football field in spurts that don’t affect the flow of the game.

Hurts can develop into a solid backup for years to come and in the present day and time, the Eagles can utilize the athletic signal-caller for 10 to 15 snaps per game under center.

Such a usage rate for Hurts would reduce Wentz’s injury risk, ease the workload on Miles Sanders while providing Hurts 220 or so snaps at quarterback to prove to future teams that he is capable of being a starter.

Those lack of 10-15 plays for Wentz might cost the Eagles some big plays, but it could provide an opportunity for the Birds to be explosive in other facets of the game.

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Do the Eagles view Jalen Hurts as their Taysom Hill knockoff?

The Philadelphia Eagles made a puzzling decision by drafting Oklahoma prospect Jalen Hurts, who might be a mimic of Saints star Taysom Hill.

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So, it turns out that the New Orleans Saints are not the only team that can make a puzzling decision in this year’s draft. The Philadelphia Eagles stunned everyone by selecting Oklahoma quarterback prospect Jalen Hurts in the second round, who slots in as the backup for Carson Wentz.

But what if Hurts is more than a clipboard holder? It’s very possible that the Eagles are thinking he can contribute as a rookie in many of the same ways Taysom Hill has done for the Saints.

Both players are great athletes who can make plays with their legs. While Hurts is a significantly better passer at a much younger age than Hill, Wentz’s status as the franchise quarterback will probably keep Hurts from getting to drop back and pass very often.

It’s possible the Eagles plan to deploy Hurts as a blocker, runner, and gadget-play receiver on offense until his services are needed under center. After all, they did make an iconic moment with Nick Foles’ tricky touchdown couch in the Super Bowl a few years ago. Their bad receiving corps should have room for Hurts to mix it up.

But there’s no confusing the mimic for the real thing in this scenario. There’s no way the Eagles will ask Hurts to play as often on special teams as the Saints have used Hill, and it’ll take time before Hurts can pick up the nuances of route running that Hill has shown early on in his Saints career.

If anything, it’s a shame that the growth Hurts made as a passer in college is going to stall out with Wentz dominating practice reps. Hopefully he’ll get an opportunity to show his worth sooner rather than later.

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With Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, the Saints should try to trade for Josh Rosen

The New Orleans Saints should take a shot at trading for Miami Dolphins backup quarterback Josh Rosen after Miami drafted Tua Tagovailoa.

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The Miami Dolphins completed their bid for Tua Tagovailoa by selecting the Alabama quarterback prospect with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and that creates an opportunity for the New Orleans Saints.

With Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick locked in, that puts backup passer Josh Rosen on the trading block again. It’s not fair to Rosen, sure — he was given a raw deal with the Arizona Cardinals in his rookie year before getting shipped out of town to Miami, who also had their eyes on another quarterback the entire time. But New Orleans might be where he can stick around.

Neither the Cardinals nor the Dolphins have fielded a single offensive lineman who would start for the Saints the last few years. Both teams have overhauled their coaching staffs and put Rosen through a lot of instability. It’s tough to understate just how strong of a situation he could step into with the Saints.

And it might not take much to acquire him. Rosen was traded to the Dolphins in exchange for a package of second- and fifth-round draft picks, and his stock has only sunk further after the Dolphins tanked their 2019 season. The Saints wouldn’t have to give up much to add him.

Going after Rosen might be the best move the Saints can make right now at quarterback. Drew Brees and Taysom Hill are the only passers under contract with the team right now, and Brees has already made retirement plans. Hill is a free agent after the season, when he’ll be 30. If nothing else, having Rosen around to hold a clipboard on game days would be worth the price of a late-round draft pick. If he shows the Saints something in training camp and can compete with Hill to start in the future, even better.

But that’s all predicated on the idea that the Dolphins would be open to moving Rosen. They could very well envision him as a long-term backup for Tagovailoa, who is recovering from a serious hip injury and a series of lower-leg issues.

But it wouldn’t hurt the Saints to ask.

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Taysom Hill’s RFA deadline comes and goes without an offer sheet

The New Orleans Saints finally signed restricted free agent quarterback Taysom Hill to his 2020 season tender, but a trade is still possible

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As expected, the NFL’s 3 p.m. deadline on Friday, April 17 passed without an offer sheet for New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill. The restricted free agent received a formal first-round tender worth over $4 million back in March, which he will now sign so that he can play football in 2020. Teams had until this point to make Hill an offer, though signing him to a deal that the Saints declined to match would have cost them a first-round draft pick.

Now, this does not necessarily mean that Hill will play for the Saints this year. He could still be traded to another team if the right offer is put on the table, but New Orleans’ decision to tender him at the highest possible value suggests they won’t send him away for peanuts.

Nor should they. Hill’s presence is often electric, especially when he’s allowed to make a play with the ball in his hands. Just look at last season’s playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings, when Hill was the only playmaker on offense for most of the second half. His impact was felt through the air and on the ground in some of that game’s brightest moments.

While the Saints can call him a quarterback all they want, more than half of Hill’s plays came on special teams in 2019, and their plans for 2020 include adding a third passer so that Hill can continue to sprint downfield and crash into opponents with his throwing shoulder. It’ll be fascinating to see whether the Saints change their approach, creating a scenario where Hill is able to handle the majority of snaps from under center as the starting quarterback.

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Will another team make Taysom Hill an offer before the NFL deadline?

The New Orleans Saints issued a first-round restricted free agent tender to QB Taysom Hill, and the NFL deadline might make him sign it.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill still hasn’t signed the restricted free agent tender the team issued to him back in March, but a critical deadline could spur him (or any interested teams) into action.

The NFL’s deadline for restricted free agents to sign an offer sheet with another team is set to pass at the close of business on Friday, April 17, around 3 p.m. CT. If Hill doesn’t sign his tender, he won’t play for anyone in 2020. But he’s fully expected to do so and suit up for the Saints.

Valued at $4.641 million (all counting against the 2020 salary cap), Hill’s tender would keep him in New Orleans for another year before he could test unrestricted free agency in 2021. If another team signs him to an offer sheet before Friday’s deadline, however, the Saints will have the choice to match it, or let him walk away — recouping a first-round draft pick in the process.

However, all’s been quiet on Hill since the Saints first formally deployed that tender. There have been no rumors of other teams considering whether to make a move for him, which makes sense considering the price they would have to pay in draft capital and his unproven NFL odds.

Hill played more snaps on special teams than offense last season and turns 30 in August. Any teams interested in his services would probably prefer to draft a younger prospect with more room to develop. So while things could change in a hurry, for now it looks like Saints coach Sean Payton will get his wish, and give Hill a real shot to succeed Drew Brees.

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Sleeper QB prospect worked out with Drew Brees, interviewed with Saints

The New Orleans Saints met with North Texas quarterback Mason Fine, a sleeper prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft who worked out with Drew Brees.

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It almost feels like a certainty that the New Orleans Saints will add a quarterback at some point around the 2020 NFL Draft. Saints coach Sean Payton admitted as much in a recent conference call with local media, clarifying that while Taysom Hill is expected to back up Drew Brees this year, the team wants to bring in another passer who will be active on game days, ensuring Hill can continue to block, catch, and run with the best of them. One name to watch on draft day: North Texas quarterback Mason Fine.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the list of interested teams to contact Fine recently includes the Saints. Additionally, Fine’s workout partner (before national lockdowns were enacted due to the novel coronavirus) was none other than Brees, whose longtime personal trainer Todd Durkin put them both through their paces.

So, that’s interesting. Fine is a dark horse in this year’s draft class, an unheralded prospect who might be picked in the final rounds if at all. That puts him in a similar boat to Florida International’s James Morgan, Hawaii’s Cole McDonald, and Colorado’s Steven Montez.

What sets Fine apart from those other late-round prospects is his sky-high college production. He put the team on his shoulders at North Texas with over 1,000 pass attempts in four years, leaving school with a solid 62.8 completion percentage and with 93 touchdowns thrown against 34 interceptions (15 of those coming in 2017, his first full year as a starter). He’s shown he can handle a high volume of dropbacks, a responsibility some collegiate passers struggle with.

Snubbed by this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, Fine instead traveled to San Diego to work out with Brees and Chase Daniel, under Durkin’s tutelage. While he tips the scales at just 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Fine put in the work to max out his frame and pack on muscle mass. And it was enough for others to take notice.

“So, yeah, Drew Brees said I was too jacked to play quarterback,” Fine joked to Tulsa World’s Dekota Gregory. “I will say I have a little bit more of a muscular build than him, but that doesn’t mean anything when you’re holding the career passing yards and touchdowns record like Drew.”

It’s easy to envision the Saints taking a late-round flier on Fine (their final pick in this year’s draft is near the end of the sixth round, at No. 203 overall) or maybe signing him afterwards as an undrafted free agent. They’ve taken an interest in these NFL longshots before while padding out the roster, ranging from Daniel himself to Sean Canfield and J.T. Barrett. But maybe Fine can carry over the poise that’s set him apart at the college level, and thrive where others didn’t.

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For The Win mock draft projects Saints to trade up for a falling QB prospect

The New Orleans Saints could add a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft. One mock presented a scenario for them to pick Oregon’s Justin Herbert

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The NFL draft is a fickle process, with teams carefully guarding their intentions behind media smokescreens and say-a-little-in-a-lot jargon whenever coaches are forced to get in front of a microphone. Few teams are as difficult to pin down as the New Orleans Saints, who surprised the football world just a few years ago by trading up halfway through the first round to select pass rusher Marcus Davenport.

Could the Saints make another bold move in 2020? The latest mock draft from Henry McKenna over at For The Win suggests a scenario that might prompt another trade for New Orleans, with several quarterback prospects slipping far beyond their expected landing spots. When Oregon Ducks prospect Justin Herbert fell to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 21 overall, McKenna picked the Saints to vault over several competitors and add their quarterback of the future:

TRADE! NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: JUSTIN HERBERT, QB, OREGON — I don’t know that Bill Belichick will be interested in Herbert, but you can be he’ll set smokescreens to confuse just about everyone. The Dolphins could be interested in the Oregon QB at this point in the draft. So to be sure the Saints trade up and land their quarterback of the future — let’s not kid ourselves about Taysom Hill. New Orleans nabs Herbert. They trade 24th overall and a 2021 third-round pick. Easy decision.

The price for making that move is easy to justify; the Saints expect to receive a third-round compensatory pick in 2021 after Teddy Bridgewater joined the Carolina Panthers in free agency. Herbert is also someone they’re familiar with, having watched him go through a week of practices at this year’s Senior Bowl. The Saints also credentialed scouts for a few of his games at Oregon last season, so he’s obviously been on their radar.

And for good reason. Herbert consistently makes good decisions with the football, keeping his eyes up and looking downfield for opportunities to make a play. He’s also not afraid to go off-script and buy time with his legs, though he’s done most of his work from the pocket. It’s easy to see the appeal.

But whether he actually does slip down the draft board feels unlikely. He’s ranked among the best quarterback prospects in this year’s class, with some teams reportedly preferring him to Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa as the second-best option behind LSU’s Joe Burrow. Unless there’s a lot of mixed messaging going on through the media, fans should expect Herbert to come off the board early on April 23.

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Sean Payton says 2020 will be Drew Brees’ final season in the NFL

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton appeared to confirm the suspected by calling the 2020 NFL season the final year Drew Brees will play.

Still at home during an extended period of self-isolation after his positive coronavirus diagnosis, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has begun making the media rounds to help pass the time. That included an interview with ESPN’s “Get Up!” morning show in which he discussed the vision for backup quarterback, touchdown-catcher, and punt blocker Taysom Hill.

However, Payton also touched on their future with Drew Brees — or a lack of one. Payton says the 2020 season will be the last hurrah for Brees in the NFL.

“The unique situation with our team and with our quarterback Drew Brees, he’s announced he’s coming back for his final season,” Payton said.

Now that’s kind of tricky. Brees signed a two-year contract extension earlier this month, but it’s structured so that he can retire after the 2020 season without leaving a too-huge lump of dead money in New Orleans’ bookkeeping. If this is his last year, the Saints would have just $22.65 million counting against the salary cap, compared to $36.15 million if he does return to play in 2021 (of course, the Saints could also kick that can down the road with another contract extension).

With the salary cap expected to increase dramatically after 2020 with new television broadcast contracts in place, that $22.65 million is a hit the Saints could absorb while building around their next quarterback — whether it’s Hill or someone else.

But back to the announcement Payton referenced. It’s possible he misspoke, because Brees has not said anything about this being his last run at a Super Bowl, only sharing on Instagram that he intended to return and play again prior to signing the new contract. It’s certainly been the implication that Brees would hang up his cleats after this season or the next, but the quarterback hasn’t vocalized that anywhere publicly. But it’s very possible Payton has heard differently from Brees behind closed doors (or on private FaceTime video calls).

Whatever the case, fans would be wise to approach the 2020 season as their last look at Brees under center inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The 41-year-old passer has said before that he’s taking things one year at a time, and made it clear that he seriously considered retirement after the 2019 campaign wrapped up. With offers to join a broadcast crew on the table, it makes sense that he’s nearing the next step in his career.

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Taysom Hill has earned a shot as the Saints QB2, says Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton offered an endorsement of quarterback Taysom Hill, saying the talented athlete has earned his stripes.

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Where does Taysom Hill slot in on the New Orleans Saints depth chart? Last season, he was the third-string quarterback behind Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater, playing more often at receiver and tight end (or on special teams) than at his listed position. Even when Brees was held out with an injury to his throwing hand, Hill largely stood by and watched Bridgewater quarterback his way to five wins as a starter.

Now, though, Bridgewater is leading the cross-division Carolina Panthers. And Hill is under contract on a one-year deal, earning $4.64 million on a restricted free agent tender. That puts Hill in the next-man-up spot next to Brees. And if Sean Payton is telling the truth (which he has admitted to not doing in the past), Hill will stay there even if the Saints add another passer.

“Taysom’s earned this opportunity to be our No. 2 (quarterback). But he’s also earned the opportunity to play and help us win football games as a one,” Payton said during an interview with WWL Radio when asked about Hill’s projected status for 2020 and beyond.

But Payton clarified that no matter what position Hill’s designated on the official roster, the Saints will find ways to get him the football: “And what I mean by that, whether you call him a receiver, a tight end, a specialist, also a quarterback. Yeah, he’s going to play. He’s too good a football player. He’s one of our better football players.”

So asking the future of your franchise to go out and block with his throwing shoulder might make things difficult, at least in the short-term. Payton acknowledged that the team would consider bringing in another quarterback because of the possibility that Hill could miss time, owing to the more-physical nature of his assignments than what most passers face.

Payton continued, “Because on any given play, Taysom can come over to the sideline and his, his right thumb or finger can be pointing east and west. And if that happens, you know, then you don’t have a backup quarterback. But, I would say coming into the season, you know, he’s going to be our second string quarterback and obviously play a number of snaps, not only at quarterback but at other positions.”

How the Saints might acquire that third quarterback is, for now, unclear. They could draft a high-upside rookie early like Utah State’s Jordan Love or Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, or settle for a middling prospect such as Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm. The Saints may also take a hard look at the free agent market, with big names like Cam Newton and Jameis Winston searching for new teams. Clipboard-holders including Trevor Siemian, Mike Glennon, and Geno Smith are also still out there. Wherever New Orleans finds its next signal-caller, it won’t lack for options.

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