New Orleans Saints: Will Taysom Hill follow Teddy Bridgewater’s path?

Taysom Hill looks to be trailing Jameis Winston in the New Orleans Saints quarterback battle but could a path away mirror that of Teddy Bridgewater’s?

The New Orleans Saints are looking a lot better than most of us predicted. While it’s only preseason, it feels like the team is getting in its regular-season form. Most notably, the team seems to have found a new starting quarterback in Jameis Winston. While it seemed like they would flip-flop, Winston’s preseason performances have cemented his role as QB1 for the New Orleans Saints.

The elephant in the room is obviously Taysom Hill. Hill looked like he had a shot until a few lackluster preseason performances. While Hill has become a mainstay in New Orleans, his role with the team has never been guaranteed. As long as the team was able to utilize him, it was obvious they wouldn’t let him go. Now, the future seems a bit more uncertain.

With Winston poised to replace Brees, where does it leave things with Hill?

Yes, Hill is a jack-of-all-trades but it’s unclear how he’ll mesh with Winston versus Brees. While it’s obvious the two will have to work together, Hill could end up overstaying his welcome. With a contract locking him down for the next four years though, it seems unlikely.

If Sean Payton does decide to announce Winston as the new starter, what will the future look like for Taysom Hill? In particular, will he follow the path of a former Saints backup?

Could Taysom Hill’s journey mirror that of Teddy Bridgewater after leaving New Orleans?

For Taysom Hill, things definitely aren’t easy right now. Not only is he about to lose the starting job but his preseason performances are no doubt going to haunt him. It’s a shocking dose of reality for Hill. His presence in New Orleans seemed unchanged before preseason games and now everything is changing with the emergence of Jameis Winston and his confident handling of the New Orleans Saints offense.

By the end of 2021, we could see Hill ready to cut ties with the Saints. If he does, he’ll more than likely follow in the footsteps of a former Saints backup, Teddy Bridgewater. While Bridgewater has more experience than Hill, he’s become a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to finding a new quarterback. Bridgewater has been at the helm of the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and now, the Denver Broncos.

Bridgewater has proven that being a team’s backup isn’t always bad and can open the door to much more opportunities. Ultimately, that seems like the path Hill will be on. While Hill doesn’t have as impressive a résumé, he could lead a team and during his time filling in for Brees, did an excellent job. He wasn’t elite, but he got the job done for the Saints which is all they really asked for.

Currently, it seems like Hill is poised to follow the path of Bridgewater. When the 2022 offseason rolls around, no doubt either Hill will be ready to move on or teams will be calling for him. He probably won’t end up in as great of a situation, but he’ll be a starter. Being a journeyman in the NFL isn’t easy but Hill has proven he’ll try to make the best of any situation.

While it might be hard to swallow, it doesn’t feel like Hill is reaching his full potential in New Orleans. He seemed like a shiny new toy years ago but that flame has slowly died out. If Hill decides to follow the path of Bridgewater, he’ll likely be better in the long run. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to how Hill feels in New Orleans and if the Saints want to keep him on the roster.

At this point though, it seems more than likely that Hill’s journey will be similar to Teddy Bridgewater’s. Heck, Teddy Bridgewater is back to being a starter so there’s no telling what will happen will Hill. Yes, it’ll be tough to watch Hill go but it will probably be for the better for him and the team. Maybe it will be a different conversation at the end of the season, but currently, it feels like Hill will end up on a similar path as Teddy Bridgewater.