Why the Saints benched Trevor Siemian for Taysom Hill in attempt to jumpstart struggling offense

From Jameis to Trevor to Taysom, the Saints QB room is quite the assortment of names.

With Jameis Winston out for the year with an ACL injury, the Saints turned to Trevor Siemian to start instead of Taysom Hill in the wake of the injury. Siemian, the journeyman NFL starter-turned-backup, went 0-4 in four starts, throwing nine touchdowns to three interceptions (57.2 completion rate).

But Sean Payton and the Saints apparently weren’t too satisfied with Siemian’s production as starter, leading to Hill once again starting for the Saints on “Thursday Night Football.”

Here’s why the Saints are probably doing it:

Why did the Saints bench Trevor Siemian for Taysom Hill?

While Saints head coach Sean Payton wouldn’t specifically indicate why (or when) Hill would start over Siemian, but the writing is on the wall: The Saints are turning to Hill to help jumpstart an offense that’s sputtered underneath Trevor Siemian in recent weeks.

In the plainest terms: Hill went 3-1 last season in Drew Brees’ absence, while Siemian is currently 0-4 as a starter entering “Thursday Night Football.” In Weeks 11 and 12, Siemian threw four touchdowns to three interceptions and 377 yards in losses to the Eagles and Bills.

While Siemian was relatively uninspiring, the lack of offensive production wasn’t solely on his shoulderpads. The Saints have been dealing with a bevvy of injuries to key offensive players: Running back Alvin Kamara is out for the matchup vs. the Cowboys, as are starting tackles Ryan Ramczyk and Terron Armstead.

Wideout Michael Thomas, who was expected to return to the field at some point in 2021, was ruled out for the year in early November.

Hill had suffered a foot injury in Week 10 that kept him sidelined strictly for “emergency use” only, and while Payton played the starting situation coy entering Thursday, Hill received starter reps in practice leading up to the Thursday matchup.

Wednesday’s practice reportedly showed that Hill’s foot was good enough to get the start on Thursday.

It also helps that Hill recently signed a pretty big, unique extension that could earn him a pretty penny if things keep progressing the way they are.

Follow the money, folks.

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