After having an extra week to think about their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, the Cleveland Browns are back and ready for their latest challenge in the New Orleans Saints.
On paper, that isn't too daunting, as after looking like world beaters in Weeks 1 and 2, the Saints have been downright bad, but in the NFL, any given team can win in any given game, and the Saints have a player in Taysom Hill who gives every opposing defensive coordinator fits defensively.
Discussing the challenge of slowing down a player like Hill, who will play quarterback one play, full back the next, tight end the third, and then protect the punter on special teams, Kevin Stefanski noted just how unique the BYU product is at the NFL level, as he really can do it all.
“A guy that really could do it all. So, versatility is great in this league when you can find guys that can line up anywhere. The challenge with Taysom Hill is he's the personal protector on punt, and he's a bonafide quarterback, and then he's the fullback on offense, and he's playing tight end,” Stefanski told reporters. “So just his ability to do everything but do it at a high level. It's not like he's just lining up out there. He can really do it all.”
Initially signed by the Packers as a UDFA, Hill has been doing a little bit of everything for the Saints since landing with the team in 2017, from returning kicks to playing running back to starting games under center as a quarterback. While only time will tell what role Hill fills in Week 11, Stefanski is right to respect his game, as he can quite literally do anything.
Browns DC Jim Schwartz has equal respect for Taysom Hill
Also asked about Hill in the lead-up to Week 11 during his own media session, Schwartz compared how the Saints use their do-it-all tight end to Kyle Juszczyk in San Francisco, who is similarly effective at a number of different things offensively.
“He's such a good player in all regards. He's a really good special teams player. I've had games where he started at quarterback against us. I was in Philly, we played him, and he can run. I mean, he ran the whole offense. His threat as a runner, he can play running back, he can play tight end, he can play wide receiver. Multidimensional players like that make it a little bit hard to zero in on your game plan because you can't just say, when he goes in the game, he's a running back. We talked a little bit about Kubiak and Shanahan and some of that influence,” Schwartz told reporters.
“They're using him a lot the way that San Fran uses (Kyle) Juszczyk. Yeah, 44 and getting him on the move. Those guys that blur the lines of, ‘Is that guy a fullback? Is he a running back? Is he a wide receiver? Is he a tight end?' The answer is yes. That's sort of the way with Taysom. I got a lot of respect for that player. He's tough, he plays the game the way it should be played. He takes the first play last week and goes for a touchdown, it gets called back with a penalty. But that's just an outstanding individual play. You can't really put that guy in a box and say he's just a specialty quarterback or he's only a specialty tight end or whatever it is. I mean, don't hand him the ball in short yardage, they'll let him be the quarterback. We talked a lot about Kamara, but that's a guy. And they missed him when he was injured, too. He's missed some time with that chest injury. So, fortunately, we know he wears number seven.”
In six games of action for the Saints in 2024, Hill has run the ball 27 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns, caught ten passes for 100 yards, completed one pass for three yards, and even recorded a tackle for loss, forced a fumble, and safety in a fantastic play against the Chargers in Week 9. When Hill is on the field, teams really do have to know where number seven is at all times because he can impact a game from almost anywhere.
