Dax Hill has moved around the Cincinnati Bengals’ secondary three times already in his first four NFL seasons and still is willing to do “whatever is best for the team.”
But, in his mind, he is at his best on the outside, and that is where Hill would like to stay.
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Hill began as a free safety before moving to nickel in 2024, when eventually injuries at outside corner forced him into another shift. He was showing promise in that role before his own ACL tear sidelined him for the final 12 games of 2024, and Hill proved himself last year as one of the most consistent outside corners.
Now, with the Bengals drafting lengthy cornerback Tacario Davis in the third round, Hill’s position comes back into question.
“I want to be outside,” Hill said Tuesday as the team continued offseason workouts. “I feel like staying at one spot is ideal for development – and my mental health.”
Hill drew a laugh from the crowd of media interviewing him Tuesday when he added that last part following a pause. He’s been through the carousel of positions and answering the same questions about his position now for three straight offseasons since it was clear after 2023 that it wasn’t working out at safety.
The organization re-signed Jalen Davis and brought in Ja’Sir Taylor in free agency, but if Davis proves ready to start this season, the Bengals’ best bet to get all three of the top corners on the field together would be moving Hill back inside.
Asked about how challenging that has been, Hill said it was at first, but now he’s “kind of used to it.”
“I feel like now, I kind of know what I want, and I want to do what’s best for the team,” Hill said.
Hill said he hasn’t had any conversations with the coaching staff yet about his position.
“It’s what, three weeks into it now?” Hill said. “So, we’ll wait and see what that looks like.”
Cincinnati also needs to think about the long term. It seems unlikely the Bengals will extend both Hill and DJ Turner, who are both heading into the final season of their contracts. Hill, who is playing on a fifth-year option this season, confirmed his agent has talked about the future, but said there isn’t “too much” conversation going on about an extension.
As someone who has been willing to sacrifice for the team in the past, Hill feels more confident about being able to tell his coaches what he wants, but he did not say if he plans to have that conversation.
“I’ve had small conversations with my (position) coach throughout the year about, you know, certain things I was doing, you know, if I wanted to have like a blitz or something for a certain game, something like that,” Hill said. “I think it was to that point where I could speak up. My first two years, I didn’t really have that stripe. I didn’t have those stripes earned. So now I feel like I’ve been here, been one of the guys that’s been here, so I feel like I can’t speak up and it holds weight now.”
Hill credited defensive backs coach Charles Burks for his support over his career.
Burks helped him through his transitions at cornerback, and Hill believes he is capable of playing either spot because of that. However, outside corner just ended up being where he’s felt most comfortable and he feels like he’s spent too much time switching positions as it is.
“I mean, how well I transitioned to that spot, I feel like, once you feel like you’re growing and producing, I feel like that’s the sky’s the limit,” Hill said. “And you want to reach your potential whenever you’re young. I mean, it’s going on Year 5, and I don’t want to, you know, waste a whole lot of time. Just doing some introspection, like, I mean, time has already flown by, so I want to make the most out of it, because it’s not a whole lot of time left.”