Matairi, la. – The New Orleans Saints plan to start Tess Hill on the quarterback ahead of James Winston on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schaefter.
According to sources, Hill took all the starter rips into practice this week. A source also told ESPN’s Diana Rusini that Winston would not be part of any offensive package unless needed due to injury.
The move comes as a mild surprise, as Winston is more experienced and replaces Drew Bryce in the second half of last Sunday’s 27-13 win over San Francisco after Bryce suffered a broken rib and punctured lung.
The Saints’ decision is a reminder that coach Sean Payton and team officials have always maintained that Hill could be the NFL’s quarterback. They supported this notion by signing a two-year, 21-million-dollar contract extension as a restricted free agent.
Hill, who was a dual-risk quarterback at BYU from 2012 to 2016, has played a unique role as a reading-option QB / RB / WR / TE / FB / special-teams specialist with the Saints over the last four seasons.
He has completed just 11-of-20 passes in his career, including playoffs, with a total of 255 yards without any touchdowns and one interception. Hill, 30, has not thrown a touchdown pass since November 26, 2016 in his final season at BYU.
However, the fast and physical 6-foot-2, 221-pounder has run the ball 105 times for 596 yards (5.7 yards per care) with four TDs.
Hill played seven pics in the quarterback in the second half of last Sunday’s win, hitting the ball on five of them in a total of 31 yards. He lost the vague on his final carry and dropped it once.
He has lost two fumbles this season and three in his career.
Peto has declined to answer any questions about the Saints’ quarterback plans this week, saying he won’t help his team strategically – although he will speak after Friday’s practice.
It is not clear whether the Saints are committed to using Hill during the absence of Bryce’s injury (no timetable has been set for Bryce’s recovery) or if they plan to evaluate both of their backup cups. But this period will serve as a valuable assessment for his future, as 41-year-old Bryce could potentially retire after this season.
The Saints signed Winston to a one-year deal of deal 1.1 million plus incentives for the deal. Payton and teammates have credited Winston for his attitude, leadership and his development throughout the season. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 63 yards last week without any TDs or turnover – although he threw a pass that almost stopped.
Hill has become one of the most charming and polarizing players in the NFL, as his ability to act as an NFL quarterback is still unclear. Hill is already 30 years old as he went on a two-year church mission after high school and spent five years in college. He originally signed with Green Bay Packers as an unrestricted free agent in 2017 before being sued by the Saints because Payton was so impressed with his predecessor’s performance.
Hill ended his BYU career with 6,929 passing yards, 43 touchdown passes, 2,815 rushing yards and 32 rushing TDs – a total of four season-ending injuries (knee in 2012, broken leg in 2014, ligament in his leg torn in 2015). Though and hyperextended elbow in 2016).
Hill initially broke up with the Saints in 2017 as Special Teams Coverage S, but since then their offensive role has expanded every year. His best performance came in the Minnesota Vikings in the January playoffs, when he completed a pass for y0 yards, hit the ball four times for 500 yards and caught two passes and a touchdown for 25 yards.
This season, Hill passes 4 of 5 for 86 yards without any TDs or interruptions. He has 186 yards and 34 TDs. And he has six catches and a TD for 74 yards.
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