For a third consecutive year, Dax Hill faces a question of where he’ll play for the upcoming season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hill doesn’t want to move positions again, though. He made his desire to remain at outside cornerback known at Paycor Stadium on May 5.
“Staying at one spot, I feel like that’s ideal for development and my mental health,” Hill said with a smile.
Hill, the Bengals’ first-round NFL draft pick in 2022, has now played three positions for the Bengals: Safety, slot cornerback and outside cornerback. He was drafted to play safety and did so for his first two seasons (2022-23).
The former No. 31 overall pick started 17 games at safety in 2023 but moved positions ahead of the 2024 season. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and former defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo decided to move Hill to cornerback.
Hill began the 2024 season playing outside cornerback opposite of former Bengals defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt. He played well and solidified his job at outside cornerback. Five games into that season, Hill tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season.
When Hill returned to the field during training camp ahead of the 2025 season, he was bouncing from slot cornerback to outside corner. The Bengals, once again, didn’t know where they wanted to play Hill in the secondary.
Hill began the season starting at slot corner and started three games there. Eventually, the Bengals moved Hill back outside and he finished the season starting nine games.
“It was challenging at first, but now I’m kind of used to it,” Hill said. “But I feel like now I kind of know what I want and I want to do what’s best for the team.”
It’s become clear that Hill is most comfortable at outside cornerback. The best performances from Hill have come when he’s playing outside and it’s where he wants to play this season and beyond.
The Bengals thought Hill played well enough at outside corner last season. They’ve expressed a desire to try to keep him long-term. Hill is entering the final year of his contract with the Bengals.
“I was impressed with Dax coming off of his knee injury,” Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said. “And you can just see the confidence grow the longer (the injury was in) his past and really proud of the way DJ (Turner) grew, both as a leader and as a player. Those guys were fortunate to have them, and those are guys to build around.”
Hill is looking to secure his second NFL contract and wants to do so at outside cornerback. The market for cover cornerbacks is much higher than a slot corner. In addition to the fact that he’s most comfortable playing there, the potential payday is likely a factor as well.
Things got a little more complicated for Hill’s future in Cincinnati when the team selected Tacario Davis in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. In addition to trying to figure out if they can give contract extensions to both Hill an Turner, the Bengals also face question marks at the slot corner spot once again. Right now, Jalen Davis is the projected option.
The coaching staff liked what they saw from Davis as a starter for three seasons. It’s not clear if he is the best option moving forward, though. Davis began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 2018 and has been with the Bengals since 2020 in a reserve role.
Cincinnati went into the draft needing to add depth at cornerback, but given Davis’ physique and skillset, he projects as an outside corner. This still leaves a hole at slot cornerback and brings back the question of if Hill will be moving back inside once again.
Hill is one of the Bengals’ most athletic and versatile players on the roster. When he’s on the field, the defense is better. He proved that he and Turner can be a strength for Cincinnati at outside cornerback.
But at the end of the day, the Bengals want to win as many football games as they can, and to do so they need their best athletes on the field.
Hill wants to make the most of his time in Cincinnati, playing in the NFL and believes playing outside puts him in the best position to succeed.
“I feel like, once you feel like you’re growing and producing, I feel like that’s the sky’s the limit,” Hill said. “You want to reach the ceiling whenever you’re young. I mean, (I’m) going on year five and I don’t want to waste a whole lot of time. Doing some introspection, time has already flown by. I want to make the most out of it, because there’s not a whole lot of time left.”
The Bengals now must decide if they want to keep Hill at outside cornerback and give him a contract extension prior to the season, or risk letting him play the season out and getting into a bidding war for his services following the season.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dax Hill makes plea for Bengals to keep him at outside cornerback
Reporting by Kelsey Conway, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
