What the Detroit Lions get at TE Josh Hill

Less than a day after tight end Jesse James officially exited, the Detroit Lions turned around and signed tight end replacement Josh Hill.

James was signed at the start of the 2019 free agency period by then-general manager Bob Quinn and was expected to keep the job while rookie TJ Hockenson acclimated to the NFL. Unfortunately for James, Hockenson didn’t take long to pass him on the depth card and he was demoted to a reserve role, seeing the pitch less than half of the offensive shots.

Two years after signing his contract, with a new front office and new coaching staff in Detroit, James’ production and role didn’t fit his contract – he was due to count $ 6.43 million against the cap in 2021 – and GM Brad Holmes released it.

As Hockenson came out of a Pro Bowl season, the Lions were looking for a complementary tight veteran who is good at blocking.

Enter Josh Hill.

At 31, Hill is an eight-year NFL veteran who has played primarily as a TE2 or TE3 during his career, while also holding other positions like H-Back and on special teams. In his five years under the direction of Lions coach Dan Campbell in New Orleans, Hill excelled as a pass and run blocker, but didn’t offer much more than an occasional catch. on offense – he only had eight receptions last year, although he has at least one touchdown reception every season.

Last season, Hill’s run blocking by PFF was 72.3, fifth among tight ends who played 50% of the tight end average shots – Hockenson’s score of 70.9, placing him eighth – and he was an essential part of the Saints’ schematic game plan.

“We lost Josh Hill,” Saints coach Sean Payton said in 2019 after Hill was injured in a game, “and Josh is one of those guys who maybe a little bit underrated, but losing it was like losing your front door. Suddenly there are 58 games on the call sheet and he’s been involved in a lot of them, so we’ve spent a lot of time trying to put some of our pieces together – the ones we still want to perform and which. can’t we run.

Here are some snippets of Hill’s effort in the Saints running game:

List outlook for 2021

With Hockenson locked in as the team’s best option on the tight end – or great skill, as Campbell likes to call the post – Hill will play a complementary role, likely contributing in several places.

“You don’t really see that much of a full-back,” Lions assistant head coach Duce Staley said on our podcast last Friday. “So the propagated (offensive) part of it is definitely alive today. And I’m saying now you’ve got teams taking the tight third end and he’s playing that full-back role.

This could be bad news for full-backs Jason Cabinda and Nick Bawden, who will need to improve their games in order to stay in the roster in 2021.

“When you remember those big swoles (full backs) it was the guys going down on the linebackers, coming down safe, maybe cutting a dude, and maybe, just maybe they got caught 15 balls a year in the dish, “Staley continued. “So now here’s the hybrid ending. Here is the tight end. You have three tight ends, 13 staff. Here’s the tight end that can move into the backfield that can do exactly what the full-back did, but this time he can slip the support and run a corner. This time he can slide the funder and start a trail.

With Hunter Bryant – who most certainly qualifies as a great skill – also in the mix, the Lions have three legitimate options in this position. But that doesn’t mean the Lions are done adding to the position, especially with a tight former NFL end as a head coach.

If the Lions are to invest in the position, Jared Cook (another tight former group of the Saints) and Gerald Everett (Rams) are both pass-catching free agent options the Lions might consider.

If they look to the NFL Draft, the Lions might consider some mid-round options: Brevin Jordan (Miami) has a skill set very similar to Everett, and Tommy Tremble (Notre Dame) is an online option. developing, while Tony Poljan (Virginia via central Michigan) is a late option with an advantage.