Bengals switching Dax Hill’s position one last time is paying huge dividends for both parties
Dax Hill has become one of the Bengals’ best defensive players thanks to another position switch.
The conversation surrounding Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Dax Hill has always revolved around where he’s supposed to go, not where he is.
Hill was first was a safety backing up Jessie Bates III in 2022. He took Bates’ place and started at safety in 2023. He was later moved to cornerback in 2024 before suffering a torn ACL. His 2025 offseason began without true clarification where he’d line up next, but he eventually settled in at nickelback.
This was supposed to be Hill’s final destination; the position he shined at during his college days had finally opened up for him. There was no projecting how the former first-round pick would play in the slot. He was a first-rounder because of how good his tape was as the nickel.
Like they always have with Hill, the plans changed in Week 11 when Cam Taylor-Britt suffered a season-ending foot injury. Hill was tasked with going from playing roughly 80% in the slot to roughly that percentage on the outside.
It was a bold decision that has paid off for both the Bengals and Hill.
Dax Hill has shined staying at cornerback
It’s been six full weeks since Hill’s transition back to cornerback, and he’s been balling out. Pro Football Focus has him with the 13th-highest defense grade, and the 11th-highest coverage grade among 76 qualifying CBs in that timeframe. He has nine passes defensed, quarterbacks have a passer rating of 65.2 when targeting him, and he’s not allowed a touchdown.
The Bengals have loved what they’ve seen, and head coach Zac Taylor made it clear what he thinks about his most recent tape.
“Dax has done a lot for us over over his four years here, and I think his best position is outside corner,” Taylor told reporters Monday. “And he’s done an excellent job of that. He’s got tremendous length and physicality and speed, and again, similar to what we’re talking about with other players who are going through their second, third, fourth year now, the experience is really showing up on how to anticipate.
“I think he’s really grown in the right direction there, and somebody we can certainly count on.”
Cincinnati counted on Hill heavily in Week 17’s win over the Arizona Cardinals. He led the way with three passes defensed and blanked tight end Trey McBride when tasked with covering the NFL’s receptions leader.
He’s playing his best football as his fourth year comes to a close, and he could not ask for a better time to play this well.
Hill’s potential extension would be more lucrative as a cornerback
Hill is under contract for the 2026 season thanks to the fifth-year option the Bengals exercised earlier in the year, but a contract extension will surely be a topic of conversation in the coming months. Hill establishing himself as a dependable starter for a defense in desperate need of them makes him quite valuable going forward.
While Hill may always be tasked with lining up closer to the middle of the field from time-to-time, if he’s to stay on the boundary and go against wide receivers, then his future pay will reflect that.
The cornerback market took a jump this past offseason with Derek Stingley Jr. of the Houston Texans and Sauce Gardner, now of the Indianapolis Colts, each reaching the $30 million per year mark.
Hill won’t be touching that figure with an offer from Cincinnati, but the market for outside corners is significantly greater than pure nickelbacks. Kyler Gordon was the last to reset the market with an average annual value of $13.33 million. There are 22 corners with a higher AAV than that as of this posting.
Not only has Hill made the Bengals better with his move, he’s set himself up to be paid more. That’s a win-win in a season which has seen fewer victories than expected.
It’s not a given Hill will be extended this offseason, but his standing with Cincinnati has never been stronger, and his future has never been clearer.
Cincinnati Bengals News
Bengals rookie Shemar Stewart lifts a weight off his back, and he knows exactly how massive it was
Shemar Stewart finally got his first sack for the Bengals.
