Bengals' first Phase 2 offseason workout practice reveals one of their largest free agent signings is dealing with an injury
Phase 2 of the Cincinnati Bengals' offseason workout schedule is underway, but not every member of the team is able to workout together. Defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension right at the onset of free agency back in March, showed up to the voluntary workout with a boot covering […]
Phase 2 of the Cincinnati Bengals' offseason workout schedule is underway, but not every member of the team is able to workout together.
Defensive tackle B.J. Hill, who signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension right at the onset of free agency back in March, showed up to the voluntary workout with a boot covering his left foot.
Hill was one of the central figures to Cincinnati's free agency. He was extended by the Bengals within an hour of the legal tampering window opening on March 10. He will make $16 million in cash this year while taking up $8,625,490 in salary cap space.
Outside of extensions for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Hill holds the priciest contract the team signed this offseason. He just turned 30 on April 20.
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It's unclear if Hill's foot injury was known by the team at the time of his signing, or if it's a new injury that occurred after pen met paper in March. The severity of the injury is also unknown.
Per The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr., Hill was not wearing a boot last week while reporters were allowed inside the locker room.
Injuries at the defensive tackle position are far from a foreign concept for Cincinnati. The position group was ravaged last year leading up to the start of the regular season. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin recognized this when speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“We had some injuries early that hurt our defensive line,” Tobin told reporters at the combine. “You are always looking for depth there. As the year played on, we were thin on the defensive line. We didn’t have a group that stopped the run effectively enough to get us into the passing downs that we wanted to be in. D-line is always on my mind.
"You want to build the defensive line," Tobin said. "You want to have enough options when you have injuries–because you will–to fill in. I did wish maybe we had a little more depth in that area and maybe stopped the run a little better."
Hill was re-signed and T.J. Slaton was added next to him in free agency, but the Bengals did not select a defensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft. Reports indicate they've agreed to terms with three undrafted free agents at the position, but with Hill currently on the mend, they're not particularly deep there to handle injuries when the practicing is intensified during training camp.
Hill's foot injury is definitely something to monitor as offseason workouts progress this month.
Other players not working out with the team are headlined by quarterback Joe Burrow, who was at the Met Gala the previous night. Tight end Erick All Jr., wide receiver Cole Burgess, cornerback Dax Hill, and running back Zack Moss are still recovering from in-season injuries and aren't practicing. Trey Hendrickson is absent with his contract status up in the air, and linebacker Germaine Pratt is away from the team after requesting a trade. Wide receiver Charlie Jones was working through drills but not with a jersey.
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