The Cincinnati Bengals appeared to have a really good thing brewing with Dax Hill last year when he fully made the transition to cornerback before he went down with an injury.
This offseason, though, the noise coming from the team has varied as to whether he’ll line up as a boundary player or on the inside in the slot.
The latest wrinkle in this debate comes from Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“Here’s a name that keeps coming up. Josh “Fig,” Newton, the second-year cornerback. The projected regular cornerbacks are Dax Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner II. The thinking is Hill goes in the slot, but you keep hearing about Newton when players talk about guys stepping up and leading and when the coaches talk about his versatility in the slot and outside.”
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Prior reporting has hinted Josh Newton will indeed get looks in the slot, meaning Hill stays outside to compete with Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner. Even when he was drafted last year, Newton seemed like the long-term Mike Hilton replacement.
The reality? Hill might be best as an outside corner, especially if CTB continues his struggles from last year. But Bengals coaches talk like they’ll use guys all over, so finding creative ways to move Hill around, blitz him and even lean into his past experience as a safety figures to be the move.
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