The New Orelans Saints held their first training camp practice session in pads on Monday, but they weren’t at full strength. Four players were absent, including starting left guard Andrus Peat, co-starter tight end Josh Hill, undrafted rookie cornerback Tino Ellis, and veteran free agent pickup Anthony Chickillo.
However, Hill was the only player Payton offered an explanation for, saying that the tight end has missed time with a “tweak.” Whether the other players were dealing with recent injuries, personal issues, or the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol remains to be seen.
Hill’s loss is bigger than it appears; he’s one of Payton’s favorite players on the roster. He described Hill’s midgame exit with a concussion last season as “like losing your front door,” and had to spend an extended time on the bench retooling his playsheet. While Hill won’t set the world on fire with his receiving stats, there may not be another player Payton trusts more to execute blocking assignments and handle such a broad range of responsibilities.
Another example of Hill’s importance to the team: he’s appeared in 103 regular season games for the Saints, nearly as many as John Carney (108), Pat Swilling (107), Mark Ingram (106), and Pierre Thomas (105), and more than Joe Horn (102), Lance Moore (101), and Jimmy Graham (78). While this injury doesn’t sound like a long-term problem, Hill’s importance to the offense can’t be undersold. Hopefully he and the other absentees will return soon.
