Taysom Hill has become known in the NFL for his ability to play every position on the football field. At least, any position that’s asked of him. Up to this point, he’s almost exclusively played throughout the offense and special teams, but head coach Dennis Allen claimed that he’s also considered throwing him out on defense.
Allen joined the New Orleans Saints as the defensive coordinator back in 2017, and when he found out what Taysom Hill was capable of, it didn’t take long for him to try and get that help on his defense. He admitted that he spoke with former head coach Sean Payton about the possibility of Hill suiting up defensively if needed. Allen had this to say, “Early on, we kind of thought about making him a Sam linebacker. I’d play him at the Sam linebacker. And I’d rush him about 50% of the time. Let’s see him do what he’s gonna do at fullback, tailback, receiver, tight end, personal protector, kick returner, he’s got enough jobs.”
Allen later mentioned that when he brought up his new idea to Payton, the conversation didn’t last very long. Payton reportedly “wasn’t having it”, and it makes sense as Hill was a favorite of Payton’s during his later years with the team. Plus, he was a huge chess piece for the offense that he wanted to run and risking him getting injured on the defensive end wasn’t a risk worth taking at the time.
Taysom Hill Has Done It All And Then Some
Coming into the 2024 season, Taysom Hill is 33 years old with so many jobs still to fulfill. Early preseason action has him playing as a tight end, running back, and fullback, while still having the potential to play quarterback and wide receiver. Since he came into the NFL, Hill has done everything that you could hope for. He’s rushed for 27 touchdowns, hauled in 11 receiving touchdowns, and has thrown for 11 touchdowns. Oh, and we can’t forget that he’s returned 18 kickoffs and a few punts here and there.
We’ve gotten to the point where opposing defenses have to change up their entire game plan when facing the Saints. Hill isn’t somebody that you can just ignore, he’s someone that you need constant eyes on, or else he’ll burn you. With him playing in the backfield as a running back and fullback in the preseason this year, we are bound to see his opportunities to make big plays skyrocket.