Just as big was seeing Taysom Hill starting camp day one at Tight End. pic.twitter.com/jOZQdwZ88w
— Gus Kattengell (@Gkatt_17) July 27, 2022
Taysom Hill went out for practice at New Orleans Saints training camp like he’s done so many times before, but with a big difference from what he’s experienced before — his usual red no-contact jersey was exchanged for the same white threads every other offensive player was wearing. It’s the final stamp on what we’ve been told all along: Hill’s run as a full-time quarterback is over. He may get a few snaps from out of the shotgun, but Hill’s days at the team facility will start in the tight ends room, not with the other passers.
Instead, he went through drills with the tight ends, and didn’t look out of place. Hill reeled in a pass from Jameis Winston for a big gain down the seam. On another play, our own Ross Jackson observed, Hill burnt the linebacker covering him and forced C.J. Gardner-Johnson to rotate over the top to compensate. The pass from Andy Dalton was underthrown and tipped by a defender, sure, but credit that to the opportunistic defense turning things around after Hill created a problem for them.
It’s a helpful illustration of the role the Saints envision for Hill now that his biggest supporter is out of the building. Sean Payton worked with Pete Carmichael (and once upon a time, Joe Brady) to design a creative set of plays maximizing Hill’s athleticism. Big-play opportunities down the seam. QB power runs through the heart of opposing defenses. Blocked punts on special teams. And, yeah, the occasional scattershot pass. It’s up to Carmichael to figure out the best usage for Hill moving forwards, and the very early returns suggest he’s got a good idea of where to put No. 7.
But the real story here is the quick recovery that Hill made from a long list of injuries he accumulated last season. He suffered a Lisfranc injury in the 2021 season finale while playing through a case of plantar fascia in the other foot. At the same time, he was managing a torn ligament in his throwing hand’s middle finger. And that’s all after he missed most of October reeling from the effects of a serious concussion. To bounce back from all of those ailments so soon — much less to do so and then make a couple of positive plays in the first day of training camp practices — is impressive.
Hopefully Hill didn’t rush himself back to action. Whether the Saints see him doing damage as a receiver, runner, blocker, or something else entirely (Dennis Allen has joked about moving him to linebacker), he brings value to the team that others don’t. They’ll be counting on him in some big spots in 2022.
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