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Would You Rather Have Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston as Your Backup QB?

By Steven Kubitza

New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill now has competition on the roster.
New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill now has competition on the roster. / Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The New Orleans Saints got Drew Brees back this offseason on a two-year deal that delayed the inevitable question of who will be his successor. The answer seemed to be do-it-all quarterback Taysom Hill once Teddy Bridgewater left for Carolina. Hill just signed an extension through 2021 after throwing a total of 13 passes in his three NFL seasons.

Then, however, the team went out and signed former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer obviously has more experience at the position and threw for over 5,000 yards in 2019. The focus now shifts to who the Saints will have backup up Brees in 2020. Both players are intriguing options.

Winston comes to town on a one-year deal worth $1.1 million before incentives. He is in a "prove it" year and shows up with five years of starting experience. His main issue has been interceptions, which peaked last year when he threw 30. Yet there is no denying he has more experience at quarterback than Hill.

Hill is more of a running back/wide receiver than a quarterback, or at least that is how he is used in this offense. He had 156 rushing yards and 234 receiving yards in 2019. His 22 targets in the passing game were a major increase over the seven passes thrown his way in 2018. Hill also went 3-6 in the passing game last year for 55 yards, as he mostly lined up in the backfield to run the ball.

So who is the better backup for Brees in 2020? The early indication from the Saints is that Winston was needed as insurance instead of just having Hill. The Wildcat specialist is certainly the more creative option and he did have 1,047 pass attempts at BYU with a career 58.2% completion percentage.

The problem is he has not played in a full-time role at quarterback in the NFL. Defenses would adjust quickly if he were on the field every down, as opposed to showing up a few times a game. While Winston has had his turnover issues, he has proven he is capable of running an NFL offense on a full-time basis.

That's more than Hill can say.