Taysom Hill has Bill O'Brien's attention for Saints-Texans opener

O’Brien has to prepare his defense for a player who could line up at any position in the backfield or along the line of scrimmage.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) runs with the ball in the second half against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

NEW ORLEANS -- Bill O'Brien certainly is aware of Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, but there's another player on the New Orleans Saints offense the Texans coach cannot quite figure out.

That's Taysom Hill.

The Monday opener between the Saints and Texans will be the first for O'Brien against a team with a player quite like Hill.

Last season, the Saints put Hill on offense more than once every sixth play and had him at a variety of positions in the backfield and on the line of scrimmage. If he wasn't at quarterback, the Saints had Hill at running back, fullback, tight end, slot receiver and wideout.

He played everywhere.

"They use him in a way you better be alert for," O'Brien said.

How the Saints plan to use Hill this season remains to be seen. One clue might have come with how the Saints left only two tight ends on the roster when they pared down to the required 53 Saturday to start the season.

A reporter asked Payton about the decision to keep only two tight ends, and the coach said how easy it is to forget about what Hill can do at that position.

"What get lost in the shuffle sometimes is the role Taysom Hill played a year ago and could play this year," said Payton, who noted Hill's natural fit for what the coach called the "F" role -- a tight end/fullback hybrid.

“Certainly, he’s at the quarterback position getting reps," Payton said. "But (his position is) not set in stone right now.”

Hill played 182 snaps on offense last season and rushed the ball 37 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns. As a passer, he completed three of seven passes for 64 yards. He also caught three passes for 4 yards.

Those passing opportunities are limited, as they should be on a team with the career passing yards leader.

The Saints acquired Hill on waivers before the 2017 season and used him only in the final five games on special teams. The next season, the Saints created a package of plays that put the athletic Hill on the field more frequently.

"One thing that coach has done really well since I've been here better than most coaches I've been around is he knows what guys are good at and he knows what guys' weaknesses are," Hill said during training camp. "He's not going to ask a single player to do something they're not good at or capable of doing.

"He's certainly done that with me and put me in the best situations to succeed, which I'm grateful for."

The Saints last faced the Texans in 2015 and lost 24-6, marking the first time since before Payton and Brees arrived in 2006 that they failed to score a touchdown.

Asked the biggest difference he's seen in Brees since that game, O'Brien noted the additions of Kamara and Thomas. But the player that will have him most puzzled until the 6:10 p.m. kickoff will be Hill.

"That's a position that's been well put together by the Saints," O'Brien said.