Hill played 12 games (starting nine) as quarterback for New Orleans in 2021, throwing 978 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 374 yards and adding five more scores. Then in 2022, Hill was featured as a tight end, appearing in 16 games (starting eight) to produce 77 receiving yards and two TDs off nine receptions while also generating a career-high 575 yards and seven TDs on the ground. He added 240 passing yards and two more TDs when asked to throw.
With Derek Carr arriving as QB1 in 2023 and Jameis Winston as his backup, it is unlikely Hill will see more snaps under center. However, that is not a concern for the 32-year-old, who has come into practice ready to work and with an open mind. Hill acknowledged he’s been catching a lot more during practice in 2023 compared to throwing and rushing.
“I think maybe doing more as, like, a receiver,” Hill said. “I think that’s kind of stuff that hasn’t been explored a ton with me here. The throwing stuff as a quarterback or running, you know, that’s stuff we’ve been doing that for a long time, and that’s come really natural for me. I think running routes and catching balls and stuff that was a foreign thing for me, and I also think because of that we haven’t done a ton of it, and I think there’s some opportunities there that we just haven’t explored yet.
“So as I look at next season, I think the hope and the expectation is that that expands a little bit. You know, I think the nice thing is I’m put in different situations. I can go at it and say, ‘Hey, if I was throwing the ball to me,’ like, I’m just going to do whatever I want the receiver to do if I was throwing it to him. So, having that perspective, I think, has also helped me and maybe made that transition a little smoother.”
Hill later confirmed that what he meant by receiver is him catching passes from the tight end position.
“Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, someone running a route and being thrown to,” he said.
2023 will be another test for the six-year veteran, as he prepares for another season being New Orleans’ valuable Swiss Army knife.