Dax Hill trusting the process in Bengals' secondary
A healthy reliance on rookies has been a major part of the Cincinnati Bengals climbing to the top of the NFL landscape. Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins immediately came in as major contributors along with Cam Taylor-Britt, Cordell Volson, and Evan McPherson. So when their first-round draft pick from 2022 was subjected to […]
A healthy reliance on rookies has been a major part of the Cincinnati Bengals climbing to the top of the NFL landscape. Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins immediately came in as major contributors along with Cam Taylor-Britt, Cordell Volson, and Evan McPherson.
So when their first-round draft pick from 2022 was subjected to being a rarely used role player, it was a change of pace.
Dax Hill's playing time as a rookie was indeed limited. It was predictable from the moment he was selected 31st overall last year, but no one can blame the versatile defensive back for wanting to be on the field more often.
Hill will undoubtedly get that chance as a second-year player in the Bengals' ever-evolving defense. There has been too much turnover to not expect a different configuration of starters in the defensive backfield.
Jessie Bates III, Vonn Bell, and Eli Apple are all out of the picture. That's over 3,000 snaps from last season needing to be replaced, and properly.
Hill is just one piece to this unsolved puzzle for now, but the 22-year old safety likes the composition of the group, and has faith in the man tasked with putting it all together.
"Yeah, I mean, I definitely enjoy everyone that's in the group right now," Hill told Sports Illustrated's James Rapien. "Whether it's Nick [Scott] or all the young guys, you know, to the corners, I feel like we all complement each other. We all have different types of games, but I feel like it all blends together, you know, once we all come together, so no matter the age or how long, people have been in the NFL, one year or two years, seven years I feel like that doesn't matter. Because Coach [Lou] Anarumo, I feel like he'll do a good job with all of us and figuring something out for the season."
Speed certainly complements more speed. Hill, who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, is now all of the sudden one of the veterans of a secondary that can outrun anyone in the high 4.4s. Taylor-Britt, Scott, and his former teammate DJ Turner II will all bring the juice along with Hill.
The only thing that makes a fast player move faster is comfortability. Hill didn't receive that last year when he aligned in several different spots despite playing just 150 snaps all season. Now that he's slated to be a focal point instead of an extra piece, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo can dial in on how to truly utilize his first-round safety.
Anarumo made a point of Hill not playing much as a rookie not because of his ability, but for the sake of keeping continuity in his secondary.
"Because those guys are the best guys and you don't mess with corners and DBs. I don't want to get mad," Anarumo candidly said last September. "That (secondary) is my baby. The DBs right? I always say the shortstop, second baseman, if I just flip you the ball because I know the guy's going to be there without even looking. That stuff takes time. The communication. Plays [with] high-level pass offs during a play, where guys are communicating. These young guys have no idea what that's all about."
Having Bates and Bell back there to handle all of that was a luxury Anarumo never took for granted. Hill's exact role in the new-look group is knowledge of Anarumo, and Anarumo alone. But he won't be alone as he figures it all out.
Check out the full interview with Hill here.
