Saints HC Dennis Allen compares Taysom Hill’s role to the Joker
By Kristen Wong
The New Orleans Saints still aren’t exactly sure what Taysom Hill’s role will be in 2022, but fans will likely see him on the field in some capacity.
Former head coach Sean Payton rather ungraciously dumped Hill on the team before he left, and heading into the new season, Hill doesn’t have a clear role in the team’s offense.
After a disastrous quarterback stint in 2021, Hill has been moved to the tight end position and looked good taking snaps there at training camp.
Hill has long served as a utility player to the Saints, and his value arguably lies in his versatility more than anything else — with that in mind, head coach Dennis Allen plans to play Hill all over the field this season from tight end to wide receiver to quarterback in specific situations.
Dennis Allen on Taysom Hill: "We're going to find snaps for him to affect the football game."
— John Hendrix (@JohnJHendrix) August 4, 2022
Said he'll be the Joker all-around position-less player. QB position some in certain situations. Mentioned tight end, wide receiver, and special teams too.
Allen called Hill the “Joker” and an “all-around position-less player,” which seems like a compliment to the sixth-year Saints swiss-army tool.
NOLA Saints are trying to maximize Taysom Hill’s strengths in 2022
Hill’s best receiving season in NOLA came in 2019 when he recorded 19 catches for 234 yards and posted an 86.4 percent catch rate. A rib injury caused him to miss some time at training camp, but as long as Hill recovers to full strength come September, he should be able to carve out a role for himself at tight end.
We doubt Hill can break into the wideout corps, though. The starters are set with Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and Jarvis Landry, and the team has solid backups in Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harty.
If anything, Hill will find more luck on special teams, where he played the majority of his snaps during the early stages of his career. In 2021, Hill played just eight percent of special teams snaps, a massive decrease from the eighty percent of special teams snaps he played in 2018.
The Saints may re-introduce Hill into the special teams fold this upcoming season, though we wouldn’t be surprised if he achieved a breakout season as a tight end.
Next. Saints 2022 Training Camp: 3 takeaways from Day 7. dark
Hill is one gift that just keeps on giving. Thanks, Sean Payton.