New Orleans Saints place two in PFF tight end rankings
New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore spent six seasons in the NFL as an offensive coordinator before being hired by the Saints this offseason. He was with the Dallas Cowboys for four years, then the Chargers for one, before heading up the offense for the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles last year.
In his previous stops, Moore had good receivers at the tight end position and used them well in his system. He had Dalton Schultz in Dallas, Gerald Everett with the Chargers, and Dallas Goedert in Philadelphia. Even with New Orleans once again barely addressing the tight end position through the draft or free agency (outside of signing former Eagles blocking tight end Jack Stoll), Moore will have some returning weapons to work with in his newest job. At least once everyone’s healthy.
Pro Football Focus analyst John Kosko listed that site’s top 32 tight ends coming into the NFL season. The Saints were one of six teams to have two players among the rankings.
No. 14 – Taysom Hill
”Hill is difficult to place on this list, as he’s less a tight end and more a do-everything player. And he’s also coming off a torn ACL in 2024. When healthy, Hill has to be accounted for on every play: He’s a threat as a passer, a runner and a receiver. He has earned a 71.8 PFF overall grade or better in four straight seasons.”
No. 31 – Juwan Johnson
”Despite the Saints bevy of injuries, including to quarterback Derek Carr, Johnson still managed 548 receiving yards and a 1.34 yards-per-route-run average in 2024. While New Orleans’ quarterback situation doesn’t look any better in 2025, Johnson has shown to be a productive tight end regardless of his quarterback.”
A tight end in name only, Hill is most dangerous out of the backfield and is the second best runner for the Saints. He’ll line up everywhere along the formation and gives defenses nightmares. A threat as a runner and thrower, Hill is also an underrated pass catcher.
Hill was one of several Saints to be lost for the year at mid-season because of injury. His ACL injury will have him out until at least training camp, at best case scenario, and has many doubting his NFL future. When in the lineup, he’s a critical chess piece for the offense. Once healthy, expect Kellen Moore to be creative in his usage of Hill.
A converted wideout, Johnson can provide advantageous matchups for the Saints. He’s too athletic for most linebackers to match up with in coverage, while his size overwhelms smaller defensive backs. Johnson’s 50 receptions and 66 targets were second on the team last year, with his 548 receiving yards leading the squad. All three were the best numbers of his five-year career.
Johnson, 28, was signed to a three-year contract extension this spring. The Saints did not bring in another tight end until late in Round 7 of the draft. This makes it clear that Moore and the offensive coaching staff believes that Juwan Johnson will be an important weapon for their offense this season.
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