After being downgraded from questionable to doubtful Saturday, the New Orleans Saints are now ruling tight end Taysom Hill out for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, a source with knowledge of the situation shared.
Hill exited last week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with a chest injury in the second half. He was then transported to a local hospital where he underwent further tests before traveling home with the team. Upon returning to New Orleans, Hill received further imaging that revealed that he had reportedly avoided serious injury.
Despite returning to practice this week, the Saints are playing it safe with their versatile chess piece. Head coach Dennis Allen did the same with starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore last week. Lattimore was pushing to get back on the field against the Dallas Cowboys, but Allen decided to hold him out in order to avoid further risk of injury. The same thought process may be in practice here against the Eagles.
The Saints are likely to now rely more on fullback Adam Prentice and running back Jamaal Williams for contributions from the backfield. Meanwhile, undrafted free agent tight end Dallin Holker could be set to make his NFL debut. The Saints otherwise would have only two active tight ends, Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson.
Perhaps where Hill will be missed the most is on special teams. Hill plays a constant special teams role on both the kick and punt return units.
Even without Hill, however, don’t expect the Saints to change too much about what has gotten them off to a hot start this season. The offense especially. With their newfound identity under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, their brand of football should not see much change on Sunday.
