Josh

Hill

Hill signed a one-year deal with the Lions this offseason but is ultimately choosing to retire after playing all eight of his seasons with the Saints. He recorded 1,071 yards and 15 touchdowns in New Orleans. The Lions hosted Darren Fells for a visit just before Hill announced his retirement, likely knowing that they were about to have a need at backup tight end. If Fells signs with Detroit, he’ll serve as a blocker and a backup to T.J. Hockenson.

Hill played sparingly behind Jared Cook and Adam Trautman last year, catching just 8-of-10 targets on 359 snaps (33%). He reunites with Dan Campbell, who was his tight ends coach the last five seasons. Hill will compete for a blocking role behind locked-in starter T.J. Hockenson in Detroit.

31 in May, Hill was once dubbed the predecessor to Jimmy Graham by fantasy analysts. It never came close to that. The blocking specialist caught eight passes last season and sports a career 116-1,071-15 line across 117 games, averaging about one catch per game. He’s spent his entire career in New Orleans.

He’s practicing on a limited basis after missing the start of training camp. There’s been no concern for Hill’s Week 1 status.

He was an afterthought to Jared Cook prior to his exit, hauling in two catches for eight yards. Dan Arnold would be active for Week 12 against the Panthers if Hill isn’t cleared from the league’s protocol mid-week.

Hill’s 29-yard gain came with the help of some solid play design that led to broken coverage. He’ll remain a thin TE2 in Week 10 if Jared Cook (ankle) can’t get right during the team’s Week 9 bye.

Hill wasn’t overwhelmingly involved in the Saints’ game plan, as each of Michael Thomas (11 targets), Latavius Murray (six) and Ted Ginn (five) each had more targets. Backup TE Dan Arnold (one targets) was also involved. Hill is nothing more than a desperate streaming option until Jared Cook (ankle) returns.

With Ben Watson retired, Hill is the next man up on the Saints’ depth chart. Hill’s pass-catching skills have been hyped in the past, but he’s never been more than a rotational player. We wouldn’t be surprised if Dan Arnold took on a larger role with Watson gone. New Orleans also figures to add a veteran to the mix this offseason.

Hill picked up 24 yards on a screen pass late in the first quarter, but he took a big hit at the end of that play. He was immediately walked into the locker room to be evaluated. He was ruled out at the end of the first half. With Ben Watson out, the Saints are down to Dan Arnold and Garrett Griffin at tight end.

Hill was scheduled to be a free agent. The tight end earned some fantasy sleeper buzz following the trade of Jimmy Graham way back in 2015, but he caught just 16 passes that season and has failed to top that mark since. Despite this new deal, Hill will likely remain a rotational player and blocker moving forward.