When you mention Taysom Hill to someone, there seems to be a real mixed reaction. Some just don't understand what Hill actually does, and then there's always the contract that's brought up when the 'gimmick' player is mentioned.
For the Saints, they know his value and what he brings to the table, and he's made memorable impacts over the years since joining New Orleans in 2017. At times last season, you saw how much of a factor he was in certain games, but the lack of consistency in usage was obviously a big focal point. When Hill got the ball, it was generally a positive outcome. When the Saints needed a spark or big play, Hill was usually one of the best guys to deliver that for the
With Klint Kubiak coming on board and a completely revamped offensive staff, there's a lot of questions regarding how Hill will be used. One fan asked a question regarding what we might could expect in 2024, and we'll dive into it.
In past years it seems the Saints took too long to get Taysom involved in the play. Will that change with the new OC?
The short answer is, yes.
At the beginning of OTAs, Klint Kubiak had plenty of praise for Hill. He said, "Taysom has been phenomenal here early. 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."
Hill said in a locker room interview during OTAs, “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."
Like others who have been around, Hill's learning a new offense for the first time in seven years. He said that it's nice to be challenged and to learn as much as he can with the different positions.
"It's one thing to know what it is on paper, but then to go do it against the defense is another thing."
What seems to be a common theme is how Kubiak has had a clear and distinct vision for the Saints offense and how good they can be, and it's been very positive. Attention to detail and more on-purpose work on the field was also evident of that, and there will obviously be new verbiage with this offense.
"I feel like he came in and has coached with a ton of detail, which has been really nice. I love the way that he's approached it, you know? I feel like I'm a detail-oriented guy. I like to know what to do versus different looks and that's very much how he coaches."
So what's the right usage for Taysom Hill in 2024? Also, where is he going to be best suited? That remains to be seen. What we can look at is last year's performance and numbers to help build a case.
Taysom Hill's Games With 40% Offensive Snaps Or More (2023)
- Week 6 at Texans - 49 (60%)
- Week 7 vs. Jaguars - 52 (58%)
- Week 4 vs. Bucs - 33 (51%)
- Week 9 vs. Bears - 29 (46%)
- Week 8 vs. Colts - 29 (44%)
- Week 13 vs. Lions - 28 (42%)
- Week 18 vs. Falcons - 28 (42%)
- Week 2 at Panthers - 31 (40%)
HILL'S COMBINED STATS FROM THESE GAMES: 330 Rushing Yards (58 attempts), 5.69 yards/attempt, 4 Rushing TDs, 23 Receptions (28 Targets), 176 Receiving Yards, Receiving TD, 4/7 Passing for 64 yards and a TD
Hill's totals represented 71.6% of his rushing attempts and 82.2% of his rushing yards. He had no rushing touchdowns in any of the other games. For receiving, his contributions in the aforementioned games made up 70% of the targets and receptions, while it was 60.4% of his receiving yard output. Hill's other receiving touchdown came against the Bucs on the road in Week 17. Passing outside of those eight contests saw Hill finish 1/3 for 50 yards (at Tampa).
First Taysom Hill Touch In Each Game Above 40% Snaps
- Week 2: Q1, 5:49 - Shotgun left end rush out of bounds for 9 yards (2nd-4, NO 42)
- Week 4: Q1, 13:52 - Shotgun pass short right to Michael Thomas for 13 yards (1st-10, NO 37)
- Week 6: Q1, 7:31 - Shotgun pass short left from Derek Carr for 8 yards (3rd-14, HOU 42)
- Week 7: Q1, 8:32 - Shotgun left end rush for 6 yards (1st-10, NO 36)
- Week 8: Q1, 4:26 - Shotgun left end rush for 18 yards (3rd-1, IND 31)
- Week 9: Q1, 5:48 - Shotgun middle rush for 7 yards (1st-10, CHI 45)
- Week 13: Q1, 8:10 - Shotgun left guard rush for 7 yards (1st-10, NO 25)
- Week 18: Q1, 15:00 - Shotgun pass short left from Derek Carr for 11 yards (1st-10, NO 25)
In those eight games, Hill's first touch accounted for 79 yards, which is an average of 9.9 yards/play.
Hill's First Touch In The Other Games
- Week 1: Q3, 11:04 - Shotgun direct snap right guard rush for 4 yards (1st-10, TEN 42)
- Week 3: Q1, 9:18 - Run right tackle for -1 yard (1st-10, GB 27)
- Week 5: Q1, 2:43 - Pass short right from Derek Carr for 1 yard (2nd-12, NO 36)
- Week 10: Q1, 9:33 - Pass short left from Derek Carr for 11 yards (1st-10, NO 37)
- Week 12: Q1, 11:54 - Shotgun right guard for 5 yards (1st-10, ATL 33)
- Week 15: Q1, 9:18 - Pass short right from Derek Carr for 4 yards (3rd-7, NO 23)
- Week 16: Q1, 13:13 - Shotgun right guard for 3 yards (2nd-1, NO 47)
- Week 17: Q1, 14:17 - Pass short right from Taysom Hill to Juwan Johnson for 11 yards (2nd-6, NO 31); Q1, 9:42 - Pass short right from Derek Carr for 8 yards (1st-10, TB 20)
In these other games, Hill's totals came to just 46 yards, and that's including the 11-yard pass. If we take that out, then that average is just 4.4 yards/play. Week 11 was the bye week and Hill was inactive for Week 14's game against the Panthers.
There were seven games in which Hill didn't have a play over 10 yards (Titans, Packers, Bucs, Texans, Vikings, Giants, Rams). Whether it's a correlation or not, New Orleans was 2-5 in those games. In the other nine games, Hill had a total of 16 plays that went for 10 yards or more and the Saints went 6-3. Those plays alone accounted for 313 yards, which was 42.7% of his 775 offensive yards from all three categories. For reference, New Orleans went 4-4 when Hill got 40% of the snaps or more, but the correct usage does matter.
The bottom line is that Klint Kubiak sat down with Taysom Hill during the offseason to outline and map out the vision on how he'd be used, and it was positive. Everything that transpired during OTAs and minicamp has reflected that.
"It's been a lot of fun," Hill said. "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."
In theory, Kubiak's offense should lead to more consistent and efficient usage for Taysom Hill this year. We have a long ways to go before the regular season, but training camp should give us a little bit more insight on Hill, his various roles and the Saints offense.
