Taysom Hill isn’t sure what his position is, but ‘I don’t think of myself as a tight end’
What is Taysom Hill’s real position? He’s listed with the tight ends on the New Orleans Saints depth chart (and on many fantasy football platforms), but he’s thrown plenty of passes through the first week of training camp practices — despite not wearing a red no-contact jersey like the team’s quarterbacks. Last year, he logged more rushing attempts (96) than snaps at his listed position of tight end (51, per Pro Football Focus charting). He’s a fixture on the punt units and sometimes returns kicks on special teams.
With his specific role in the Saints offense seeming to change from one year to the next, Hill has busied himself with just doing what’s asked of him while trying to not think too hard about his formal designation.
“I don’t know, I don’t think of myself as a tight end, you know? I don’t think I had a single rep last year as an inline tight end,” Hill reflected after a July 26 practice session. “So when I think of a tight end that’s what hits my head. I don’t know how I would label myself. Obviously my background has been quarterback, so when I think about what I’ve done throughout my career I think of that. As far as what I’m doing this year, I don’t know.”
Hill said that he’s had conversations with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. about his role to practice areas of his skill set that have been underutilized in recent years, particularly as a receiver. After catching 19 passes for 234 yards and 6 touchdown receptions in 2019, Hill has totaled 24 catches for 231 yards and 3 scores in 2020, 2021, and 2022 combined.
The flexible role Hill has earned for himself in the Saints offense isn’t something he takes for granted. If he can help the team by catching more passes, he added, then he’s all for it: “I hope to get more of those opportunities, obviously I need to do the right thing and take advantage of them. Yeah, I hope I keep getting those.”
