π The Taysom Hill Issue
The surprisingly sad and injury-filled career - Nov 21
This will be THE Taysom Hill issue. Weβve never seen a QB starting at TE (thank you for that ESPN) or a QB with a hype video as great as this one.
After Adam Schefter announced Jamies Winston will not be part of any offensive packages Sunday vs the Falcons, Taysom Hill was trending on Twitter.
So whatβs the deal with the new Saints QB (who might be a fantasy football league-winner)?
How did he get here?
Itβs a surprisingly sad and injury-plagued involving FOUR season-ending injuries in FOUR years.
Coming out of high school in 2009, Hill had multiple offers from big-time programs. Heavily recruited by head coach Jim Harbaugh, Hill had originally committed to Stanford, but after returning from a church mission, he enrolled in January at BYU after learning Stanford did not allow incoming freshmen to join the team until June.
In his freshman season of 2012, Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 6th game after winning the starting job.
Hill resumed starting in the 2013 season, leading BYU to an undefeated season until Hill sustained a fractured leg.
Injury again struck Hill at the start of the 2015 season, when he suffered a lisfranc fracture during the season opener.
As a result, Hill was granted a medical redshirt for 2015, making him eligible to return for one final season in 2016. Late in 2016, Hill suffered a fourth season-ending injury when he went down with a hyper-extended elbow injury in the fourth quarter and was unable to finish the season
He also lost his older brother Dexter, which is why Hill wears #7.
Hill went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft, but signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent on May 5 (when he was 27 years old). He appeared in three preseason games before being waived.
The day after he was waived, Hill was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Saints. Just last year, Hill signed a two-year, $21 million contract extension.
Heβs an all-time athlete
Look at his comparables for athleticism. Names include Saquon Barkley, Chase Claypool, and some guy named LaDainian Tomlinson (who Hill is faster then).
Heβs eligible at multiple positions
And rightly so. So far this season, Taysom has 34 rushing attempts for 186 yards (5.5 YPC), 6 catches for 74 yards, completed 4 passes for 84 yards. He also has 13 career tackles.
The most important aspect is that ESPN leaves Hill eligible to start at TE this week:
However, itβs likely to be a one-week run at TE, as Berry later tweeted that ESPN will look into removing Taysom Hillβs TE eligibility after people lost their sh*t on Twitter. So those who read the newsletter two days ago, I hope youβre in ESPN leagues.
Long-term potential
There is certainly a real possibility that this is Drew Brees last season and that Sunday is your first long look at the Saints starting QB next year.
The realistic outcome this season:
BONUS
Calvin Ridley (foot) will be available for Sundayβs game against the Saints. He is not listed on the game status portion of the injury report.
Adrian Peterson said when he was told that he lost his starting job to D'Andre Swift, his reaction was - "You should've done this 2-3 weeks ago."
The list of running backs scheduled to be FAβs this offseason is insane.
Holly helps Kevin Malone decide what position to put Taysom Hill.
Thank you all - Hope you enjoyed the issue!
Question of the day: How do you expect Taysom Hill to do for the rest of 2020? I expect a combination of Lamar Jackson running plays with Drew Breesβ checkdowns, making him a must-start top 5/6 QB.