Taysom in Kubiak offense

The Saints found Taysom Hill, created a vision for him and changed how football is played in New Orleans by creating a specialized package of plays for him that no one saw coming.

Hill’s days as a quarterback might be over, but the door is open for him to evolve. And perhaps getting away from the people who jumpstarted his career might help him take the next step. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak only spent a year in San Francisco. Still, that offense has become one of the most creative in the league, and perhaps he’ll have a vision that’s different or expanded from what we’ve seen from Hill.

The Saints haven’t ever fully committed to making the offensive weapon anything more than a change-of-pace player, someone who can get 5 yards when they need it or run a trick play. We've spent years asking why Hill wasn’t used more/better, and we never got satisfactory answers. The only explanation is that previous coaches thought he was better in doses than as a constant factor.

Members Only podcast: Now that Saints have addressed their offense, @KevinWashJr and I rank their biggest remaining concerns from major to mid to minor.https://t.co/TXnU3REnok— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) February 22, 2024

Maybe Kubiak will see it the same way. He might simply look at how Hill was used in previous years, sprinkle some motion on top and run it back with some window dressing. Sometimes there is no need to outsmart yourself. QB Power will work in any offense as long as Hill is there to run it.

But what if he looks at Hill and sees a multifaceted weapon that creates mismatches? What if he sees a guy who is just good enough and just fast enough as a route runner to torment linebackers? Someone strong enough to block a linebacker and dominate a safety? Someone who can throw and pass and catch? What if he wants to take that player and maximize his usage? How would he do that?

The goal of the 49ers offense is similar to that of Dennis Allen’s defenses. They want things to look complex for guys on the other side of the field, but they want them to be simple to execute. One way for an offense to do that is to get into heavy personnel so that you force the defense to get into a certain type of personnel. From there, it’s easier to create mismatches if you have some unique weapons on the field.

With the combine on deck, will the Saints be willing to draft a different type of defense end?The Dot presented by Matt Bowers Auto Group pic.twitter.com/C1vlFGkk34— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) February 22, 2024

This is why Kyle Juszczyk was such a good weapon for the 49ers. He could line up and block out of the backfield alongside the best fullbacks in the league. But what makes him a weapon for the 49ers is his ability to line up all over the field and be respectable and believable in those spots.

Just look at all the spots he lined up last year, according to Pro Football Focus:

Quarterback: 1 snap

Backfield: 204

Inline tight end: 200

Slot: 120

Wide receiver: 87

If you can move a guy around like that, you can dictate other matchups and create problems by stretching a defense in heavier personnel sets. Imagine you’re the Saints, and you come out in heavy personnel with Hill at fullback, Alvin Kamara in the backfield and a pair of tight ends. If you line up in an empty set, odds are someone is going to be in an advantageous position because there are only so many linebackers who can cover.

There’s certainly a chance New Orleans looks at how Juszczyk was used by the 49ers and tries to emulate some of that with Hill. It wouldn’t even be that big of a stretch since he’s already lining up in a lot of the same positions. He’d just need to convert some of those quarterback snaps into more fullback work, which we know he could do.

Quarterback: 121

Backfield: 29

Inline: 80

Slot: 132

Wide receiver: 72

🆕: What pieces are missing from Saints’ offense?📌: Will the Saints use more play-action in the new offense?📌: If you could pick one non pro-bowl or all-pro free agent who would it be?🔗: https://t.co/RNNhUalquN pic.twitter.com/lNOALTegW0— NOF (@nofnetwork) February 22, 2024

Whatever the case may be, even if the role remains limited, the way Hill is used needs to feel more deliberate. There were too many games over the past few years where it felt like there wasn’t a plan for Hill at all; or that when he had success, it was something they stumbled into rather than something they intended.

He’s a unique weapon, and this offense should be able to take advantage of that.

More on Kubiak's arrival:

• Klint Kubiak isn't going to change Saints run scheme; he's going to evolve it

• How Klint Kubiak will get the ball out of Derek Carr's hand faster and why that should spark Saints offense

• Exploring how Klint Kubiak can sharpen Saints offense through study of 49ers' orbit return motion

• How Klint Kubiak can elevate the Saints' offense

• Which players benefit most from Saints hiring Klint Kubiak?

• Members Only: Are our expectations too high for Saints offense under Klint Kubiak?

• What will Klint Kubiak's Saints offense look like? We turn to the 49ers for some clues