If it means saving Bo Nix’s ankle, we would absolutely die on that Hill.
Taysom Hill, a Sean Payton favorite when the two were in New Orleans together, announced this past Wednesday that he was leaving the Saints. The longtime quarterback-tight-end-special-teams-gadget-dude
The football wonks up in the Grading The Week offices are hoping, and not all that quietly, that the 6-foot-2, 221-pound former BYU star would consider a short-term deal here. And that the Broncos will do the same for the veteran utility banger.
As Payton/George Paton moves go, finding a place for Hill in orange and blue just makes sense. Almost too much sense, when you think about it.
Yes, Hill will turn 36 next month. Yes, he hasn’t played on at least 300 combined offense/special teams snaps since 2023. Yes, he hasn’t attempted more than 11 passes since 2022.
You know what we say to that?
Nix the overthinking, my friend.
Taysom Hill to Broncos — B
As this past January reminded us, the most important, critical, almost spinal thread toward a march to the Super Bowl in 2026-27 is a.) playing in postseason games; and b.) having Nix healthy and rarin’ to go for those playoff tilts.
Taysom, even at 36, could become one of Bo’s best friends.
What could the Broncos use on the fringes right now, at least on paper?
- A different, more athletic, option at backup QB. That’s Hill.
- More proven, reliable, short-yardage options at tight end. Also Hill.
- A veteran presence who knows Payton and can help smooth over the coach’s more well-known, shall we say, rough edges during times of crisis. Especially on game days. Sound like anybody we know?
Again, it’s about Bo. What if, instead of always leaning on Nix as a runner on critical short-yardage situations, you could take No. 10 out from time to time and use Hill as a “tush push” weapon on third or fourth down? Or at the goal line, where Nix’s ankle would also be routinely tested?
Or, if you want to keep the element of surprise, why not line up with both quarterbacks on short yardage, and make the defense have to choose who’s getting the ball? Given Payton’s mad-scientist proclivities and game-planning creativity, the sky’s the limit. Any coach that could get Frank Crum in the end zone in a postseason game could find fun ways to use Hill in a pinch.
Nix accounted for 25 rushing first downs on 83 attempts last fall, a ratio of 30.1%. Hill sported a first-down ratio of 30.8% in 2025, and a 46.1% first-down ratio the season prior to that. Save those legs, man. Save those ankles.
We’ll grant you this: The same caveat applies to shoehorning Hill onto the Broncos as it does to trying to bring back, say, Von Miller — with a roster this sound, at least at the start of training camp, how often would he actually, seriously, play? Whom would you cut to make room? And, true, something might have to go very wrong over the next few weeks for an obvious roster spot to open up.
But by the same token, it’s not as if the Broncos can’t afford him, either. According to OverTheCap.com, as of Friday afternoon, the law firm of Payton & Paton had $29.5 million in cap room to work with, ninth-most of any NFL franchise.
And unlike the Vonster, Hill has been used as a spot/situational player for years. He knows his role. Knows the drill. He also comes to Dove Valley with a comparatively clean slate locally.
What do you give a team that has, presumably, everything? A player that can do just about anything might be the final X-factor that pushes the Broncos over the AFC pile and into a Super Bowl berth down in Inglewood, Calif. next February.
Joker’s horses riding high — A
A belated toast to Delicious Gar, the horse owned by Nuggets icon Nikola Jokic The hoops guys on the GTW crew just hope the Nuggets, and new assistant coach Dave Joerger, can make the Joker as happy next spring as his horses do now.
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