A year ago, the contending Cincinnati Bengals had the luxury of holding a future-minded approach to the draft when selecting defensive backs Cam Taylor Britt and Dax Hill.
And, cliche as it might sound, the future is now.
With Jessie Bates likely leaving in free agency, the Bengals will turn to the first-rounder Hill at that safety spot.
Cincinnati already turned to Taylor-Britt, the second-rounder, last year when Chidobe Awuzie and others battled injuries. He says Year 2 is where he and Hill will take over.
“They drafted us for a reason,” Taylor-Britt said, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. “We got our snaps this year, rookie season. Yeah, we had our flashes, of course. But it’s time to take over. If anything, it’s going to be our room. That’s how we have to look at it.”
While Hill didn’t get a ton of looks in the regular season, some of his playmaking ability flashed in the preseason and earned some raised eyebrows.
Taylor-Britt, though, got better as he went after popping off injured reserve and right into the fire. He looks every bit the part of a starting boundary corner if he keeps developing.
Bengals fans might’ve been reminded of a guy named Leon Hell in the way CTB attacked the running game, too.
Taylor-Britt is right about his statement and if he and Hill develop well under Lou Anarumo, it might indeed be a takeover.
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