How much Taysom Hill is the right amount of Taysom Hill? Drew Brees (via @WWLAMFM) says he should be getting 10-12 quarterback reps a game #Saints 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/ZpVxdpKOKq
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) August 9, 2024
New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees believes getting Taysom Hill more snaps at quarterback should be a point of emphasis this year. But he made it clear he isn’t advocating for a battle with Derek Carr.
“I don’t know why we haven’t lived in a world where Taysom Hill is getting 10 to 12 snaps a game at quarterback,” Brees told WWL Radio. Hill is a jack of all trades and will move around the field every game. He’s played quarterback, tight end, fullback, wide receiver, and lined up in the slot while handling a couple of different jobs on special teams. Of all of the positions he played last year, Hill lined up at quarterback the second-most.
Hill played in 16 games but only played double-digits snaps at quarterback in five of them. The Saints were 3-2 in those matchups.
Brees argued that “some of our most successful plays, consistently, are when Taysom Hill is at quarterback.” The eye test gives credence to the statement. Running QB power with Hill seems predictable, but it was arguably their most effective play over the last two years. But he averaged just 6.8 snaps per game at quarterback last season, down from 9.3 the year before.
The numbers support that theory. Pro Football Reference’s Success Rate stat defines it as “a play that gains at least 40% of yards required on 1st down, 60% of yards required on 2nd down, and 100% on 3rd or 4th down.” Hill had a success rate of 64.2% on run plays and 46.2% on passing plays last season. He’ll be asked to run more than he throws in Klint Kubiak’s offense, so there’s more value placed in his rushing success rate. Brees pointed to that value in making his argument. We’ll see if Kubiak agrees.
