Taysom Hill fans should be used to surprises by now.
Over the past seven seasons with the New Orleans Saints and at BYU before that, Hill flipped the script for talented quarterbacks countless times as he overcame injuries and embraced new offensive roles.
But ahead of his eighth season in the NFL, he says he’s not done trying new things.
“It’s weird to say after seven years of doing what I’ve been doing, that I’m being asked to do things that I’ve never done before. But I think that is exciting. That is exciting to me. And it’s challenging and I love to be challenged like that, so, man, I’m grateful for those guys for creating unique opportunities and fun opportunities for me,” Hill said after a recent Saints practice, according to ESPN.
Is Taysom Hill still a QB?
Hill’s new opportunities are coming from Klint Kubiak, who was hired to be the Saints’ offensive coordinator this offseason.
Throughout practices this spring, Kubiak has used Hill at a variety of positions, including fullback and tailback, according to Saints News Network.
“Kubiak looks ready to incorporate Hill as a consistent presence in the team’s offense,” the article said.
While trying out new running assignments, Hill has continued to develop as a tight end and kept at least one foot in the team’s quarterback room.
Thanks to his skills at — and willingness to play — both positions, Hill was a key offensive weapon for the Saints in recent seasons.
“He had his jersey sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year after joining the NFL’s 10/10/10 club with 27 career rushing touchdowns, 11 receiving touchdowns and 11 passing touchdowns,” ESPN reported. Hill “led or tied the team in combined rushing and receiving touchdowns in 2022 and 2023.”
Saints head coach Dennis Allen told reporters in May that Hill is “absolutely” not done throwing passes, per Saints News Network.
“We’re going to utilize him in that role, absolutely,” Allen said when asked about Hill’s future as a quarterback. “So start game planning.”
How will the Saints use Taysom Hill this season?
It’s still unclear what Hill’s main role will be this fall. Saints tight ends coach Clancy Barone told ESPN that he doesn’t yet know how much time Hill will spend with him.
But Hill seems confident about Kubiak’s unusual vision. He told ESPN that he expected and has been grateful for all the bouncing around he’s done at practices this spring.
“Klint and I had sat down and had a great conversation in the offseason and, he kind of outlined and mapped out how he envisioned me being used, and, I would say we had a great frank conversation. ... And everything that I’ve seen to this point has been reflective of that conversation,” he said.
The positive feelings are mutual.
Kubiak and Allen have both praised Hill in recent interviews, per ESPN.
“I think Taysom Hill can flourish in any role he embraces,” Allen said. “I think there’s a lot of things he can do. I think there’s going to be a learning process that goes along with this, but there’s a lot of different things that he can do. And I wouldn’t say a lot of it is totally different from some of the things he’s done in the past for us.”
Kubiak promised to have his plans for Hill solidified by the time the season starts. For now, he — and Hill — will keep enjoying the experimentation.
“Taysom has been phenomenal here early,” Kubiak said at the beginning of OTAs, according to ESPN. “We’ve been kind of moving him in a lot of spots, as he’s done his entire career, really intelligent guy. So, looking forward to ... giving him a lot of volume early and then we’ll start narrowing it down as we get closer to the season.”