Saints Mailbag: Taysom Hill, Defensive Free Agents, Dark Horses

Our latest Saints mailbag tackles questions about Taysom Hill, defensive free agent possibilities, and dark horses who can make a special teams impact.

It'll be a little over a month until the start of Saints training camp. Based on past trends, I would anticipate the rookies to report on July 18, veterans on July 25, and training camp to start around July 28-29. We'll get the official announcement soon enough, but until we get there, we continue to tackle your questions related to the black and gold. 

We received a good bit of Saints questions for this one, so we'll split it up into two parts. Let's jump in.

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What is the ideal usage for Taysom Hill?

What is a reasonable amount of touches to assume for Taysom/Gm on the offensive side of the ball? It seems like good things happen when the ball is in his hands.

— Mike Gervais (@mikegervais) June 20, 2023

The frustrating part about Hill's usage last year was it felt like he was being used too late and not in the right situations. Good things do happen when he touches the ball, and I'm a firm believer in him getting around 25 snaps in a game. That's roughly 35-45 percent of the offensive snaps. He had 8 games in which he had 20 snaps or higher, and they went 6-2 coincidentally (road losses to the 49ers and Bucs).

Hill is absolutely a good red zone threat, and there's going to be some packages in there for him this season. The biggest thing for me for the offense is that Pete Carmichael needs to find the balance and use him in the right situations and at the right times. Hill affects the game in a variety of ways, and the Saints would be wise to help make that work.

Are there free agent pass-rushers worth targeting?

Who’s the starter opposite of Cam?
Any FA worth targeting that make sense?

— WhoDatJag (@Jagilarr) June 20, 2023

Answered the question regarding who should start opposite of Cam Jordan on a previous mailbag, so check that out. As far as free agent targets, I'd take a hard pass on Jadeveon Clowney. Yannick Ngakoue would be the top target I would go after, but the change to Drew Rosenhaus as his agent might mean he's seeking some higher dollar money that New Orleans might want to spend elsewhere.

Some of the other players like Kyle Van Noy or Justin Houston seem like they're better suited in a 3-4 scheme. I've seen players like Danielle Hunter floated as a possibly player to trade for, but the issue is that he is going to want to get paid. So, essentially if the Vikings don't pay him, whoever he goes to will quickly need to put together an extension for him. I'd pay close attention to the USFL when they're finished up. 

What defensive free agents could be added to help the Saints?

Are there any current defensive free agents that could truly make a difference on the team if signed?

— Uncle (@Real82Shad) June 20, 2023

The positions that it make the most sense would be defensive tackle and linebacker. The team feels pretty set in the secondary, but could also add to it for competition. That being said, I realize the appeal from some fans to suggest someone like Kwon Alexander at linebacker, but others exist like Anthony Barr, Jaylon Smith, and Zach Cunningham that I might look at. The biggest thing with the linebacker spot is if they'll get the growth expected out of a player like D'Marco Jackson.

As far as defensive tackle, the biggest need would be to find someone who can get after the quarterback. While New Orleans lost Shy Tuttle and David Onyemata, they essentially backfilled those players in Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. Those two had better win rates in pass-rushing situations, which ranked them higher in some grading. I will say that I want to see more from players like Jack Heflin, and naturally someone like Bryan Bresee will make his mark. Jerron Cage and Prince Emili are others to watch here, but to me it's Saunders, Shepherd, Bresee, and Roach right now.

Who's a dark horse on the roster who makes the impact on special teams?

I'm not sure their considered dark horses at this point, but Isaac Yiadom and Lonnie Johnson Jr. would be the two players I would look at. The Saints lost a good bit of special teams players in the offseason, which will get backfilled by some like Yiadom. I like what I've seen from him in the cornerback department too. Others brought in like Ugo Amadi and Johnathan Abram might also get some looks.

I'm also wanting to see more from Jordan Howden. You can see how he's being a really good student of the game right now, but also making a good bit of growth. I also wouldn't discount Alontae Taylor here. He has blazing speed, and if he's not going to start opposite of Marshon Lattimore or take slot duties from Bradley Roby, then he's going to be a force here opposite of J.T. Gray.

Two more from the linebacker group to watch would be Ty Summers and Ryan Connelly, with some eyes going to Nephi Sewell in his second season.