Taysom Hill has spent his eight seasons with the Saints as a do-everything player, and he’s doing more this preseason, including lining up at both fullback and tailback.
Hill was playing in the backfield with the first-string offense in Sunday’s preseason game against the 49ers and he finished the game with five carries for 21 yards, including an impressive 11-yard run as a tailback and a one-yard plunge into the end zone as a fullback that gave the Saints their only touchdown of the game.
At fullback Hill also served as a lead blocker for running back Jamaal Williams. Hill and Williams were college teammates for five years at BYU, with Hill playing quarterback and handing off to Williams hundreds of times during their tenure together.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen said at the start of training camp that he’s excited about the role Hill is going to play in the Saints’ offense.
“He’s gonna do a lot of stuff. He’s gonna run routes from in line, out wide, out of the backfield, he’s going to block, he’s going to run the ball out of the backfield, I think he’s going to do a lot of stuff. He’s going to line up at the quarterback position at some point in time. I think he’s an awesome weapon to have,” Allen said.
Hill said new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is going to use the fullback position in new and interesting ways and that Hill will is looking forward to those snaps at fullback.
“I feel like the use of the fullback in this system, that role has been expanded,” Hill said. “I have done more of that.”
The Saints still plan to use Hill at times as a change-of-pace quarterback, but for now he’s working on different roles in the offense, as he continues to grow in his game.
