When Taysom Hill arrived in New Orleans in 2017, no one was sure what position he would play. Dennis Allen wanted him at linebacker.
Allen was the Saints’ defensive coordinator at the time and is now the Saints’ head coach, and he says he proposed giving Hill a chance to play linebacker but then-head coach Sean Payton insisted that he was keeping Hill on offense.
“Early on we kind of thought about making him a sam linebacker. I’m not kidding,” Allen told Kay Adams. “The head coach at the time wasn’t giving up anything. Now we’ve got him doing so many things now, fullback, runner, there’s only so many places a guy can play.”
Ultimately, Payton made Hill a combination quarterback/tight end/wide receiver/special teams player, and Allen may have Hill doing even more this season. Allen says if the Saints needed him to do it, Hill could be a good pass rusher, but that’s not what they’re asking of him this year.
“Let’s see him do what he’s going to do at fullback, at tailback, at receiver, at tight end, personal protector, kick returner,” Allen said. “He’s got enough jobs.”