Former BYU Star Taysom Hill Will Get Chance to Start at QB for Saints

Former BYU quarterback Taysom Hill certainly has made a name for himself in the NFL. As a member of the New Orleans Saints since 2017, Hill has played a variety of positions including quarterback, running back, wide receiver, slot, tight end, kick returner and rusher on the punt return team.

Overall, he has collected 809 rushing yards with 11 rushing touchdowns while catching 30 catches for 336 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. From scrimmage, Hill has 1,145 yards and 18 touchdowns.

He also has 13 tackles and a blocked punt.

Drew Brees went down with an injury during last season, which pressed Hill into starting quarterback duty for four games. The Saints ended up winning three out of his four starts and he surpassed 230 passing yards three times in that span.

For the season, he threw for 928 yards and four touchdowns with an admirable 98.8 passer rating.

This fall, he will be given a chance to compete with Jameis Winston for the starting job in New Orleans. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees has officially retired after 20 brilliant seasons, finishing as the all-time passing leader. This leaves a gaping hole in the Saints organization.

Hill welcomes the new challenge and new role heading into 2021.

Saints head coach Sean Payton shed light on the situation, talking with ESPN.

“Look, there’ll be a few calls we make. But our goal coming into the offseason was to obviously re-sign Jameis. Taysom [started] four games for us last year. And [we’ll] let those guys go to work, and I’m excited about it. I’m excited about those two. Now, there are a few things that may still be out there. But I see those two competing for this position.”

Hill showed flashes of what he could be as the full-time starter last season. However, he was far from perfect. In those four starts, he turned the ball over five times on two interceptions and three fumbles lost.

The 30-year-old will have stiff competition in Winston, who is just two seasons removed from leading the NFL in passing yards with Tampa Bay in 2019. While Hill is a better athlete and playmaker with his legs than Winston, the former Heisman Trophy winner has a bevvy of experience as a starter, making 70 of them for the Buccaneers over five seasons.

BYU has not had a quarterback start Week 1 of an NFL season since Steve Young in 1999. Now with Hill in New Orleans and Zach Wilson being the assumed No. 2 overall pick to the Jets, there is a possibility BYU will have two former quarterbacks starting in the NFL when its 2021 season kicks off. The Saints and The Jets will play each other this season, so maybe we can get a chance to see Taysom and Zach face off.