Tag: Daxton Hill

Bengals praise Dax Hill’s growth ahead of matchup vs. George Kittle

Big hype for Bengals safety Dax Hill as he keeps ascending.

Cincinnati Bengals safety Dax Hill has been steadily earning praise over the course of his first six games as a full-time starter in coordinator Lou Anarumo’s defense.

Hill has been used all over the place, filling that Jessie Bates role but also serving as a specialist against specific players such as opposing tight ends.

That has Anarumo signing his praises before a showdown with San Francisco’s George Kittle.

“Confidence. I think just understanding his job and feeling good about letting it fly a little bit,” Anarumo said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Going to make some plays and that just comes with feeling more confident in what his, what his jobs are. So he’s done well. It’s been steady, which is good.”

Kittle, who Anarumo puts with the likes of Travis Kelce, is a nice measuring stick for Hill’s progress: “I think he’s held his own. It’s a tough job for any of those cover guys. They’re going to win some and lose some and as long as we’re winning more than we lose. He’s competitive. He’s fast, he’s got some length to him. He’s held his own, but (Kittle is) tough. This guy’s a tough match for anybody. ”

Considering the secondary was one of the biggest questions about the team entering the season, the fact Hill has been a steady presence already is a great sign for both the rest of the season and the future.

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ProBlue: Five best performances from Michigan alum in Week 6

Great week for former Wolverines! #GoBlue

This is one of the best seasons for NFL Michigan athletes in recent memory. Daxton Hill, D.J. Turner, Nico Collins, Josh Metellus, and many more are finally breaking out, Hutchinson looks like a game-wrecker — and the Lions are actually good!

Michigan will be a defense-heavy school for the near future. Nico Collins is the first (and only) offensive player to make the prestigious award. Next year’s draft might shake some things up, but the Wolverines will always be a dangerous team.

Take a look at my five best player performances from former Wolverines who excelled in an exciting Week 6 of the NFL.

ProBlue: Who showed out for Michigan on the big stage

Some really great showings from former #Michigan players this week! #GoBlue

NFL Week 5 has officially wrapped up, and it was chock-full of big performances from former Wolverines.

Sadly Nico Collins had a relatively quiet week and dropped out of the top five receiving yards total, but the defensive alum picked up the slack. Aidan Hutchinson was all over social media with his one-handed snag, Mike Danna iced the Chiefs victory with a sack — and plenty more!

Sack leaderboards:

T1: Aidan Hutchinson (4.5)

T1: Rashan Gary (4.5)

3: Mike Danna (3.5)

4: Kwity Paye (3)

5: Josh Uche (2)

Here are the top performances from former Michigan football players in Week 5:

Bengals teammates aren’t surprised at Dax Hill’s big start

Bengals teammates expected — and got — big things from Dax Hill.

Through a handful of games, Cincinnati Bengals safety Dax Hill has flashed the major upside that made him a first-round pick and one of the next men up in the wake of the team losing Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell to free agency.

And teammates aren’t surprised.

Veterans in the locker room worked with Hill while he sat for most of his rookie season and the results have paid off on the field.

“It’s great seeing the growth he has had,” Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton said, according to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He knew that he was stepping into big shoes, and he didn’t budge at all. We know who he is as a football player and how he is in the meeting rooms. We’re not surprised by how he has been playing.”

Things haven’t been perfect, but some of that big range and versatility that Bates had and helped coordinator Lou Anarumo mix up his looks remains thanks to Hill.

So far, he’s lined up all over the field, be it on tight ends or otherwise and put up numbers on the stat sheet — including leading the team in tackling and also boasting an interception and sack.

While Hill and the revamped secondary will still experience growing pains, it’s clear that Hill has been able to shoulder a lot of the load in a few different ways, which speaks to big things over the long-term for a defense that could undergo big changes over the next few years when it comes to players and along the coaching staff.

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ProBlue: How former Michigan football players fared in NFL Week 3

Some of the guys really balled out! #GoBlue

Michigan has nearly 50 players currently in the NFL. From stars to practice squad members, this weekly series will document the gridiron greatness of former Wolverines.

Michigan’s NFL numbers are focused on the defense, but recent performances from Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones are looking to balance the scales a little more.

Jabrill Peppers has also been facing a bit of a career resurgence after joining the Patriots two seasons ago in free agency. He continues to impress with his versatility and talent up in New England.

Rashan Gary looks to be the next Wolverine to make big money in the NFL. His recovery has gone great and Green Bay should look to lock him up sooner rather than later.

The Wolverines currently have nine first-round picks in the NFL and 19 starters. Here’s how they performed in Week 3 of the 2023 season.

Bengals praise Dax Hill’s emergence as he steps into starting role

Dax Hill has impressed for the Bengals so far.

The play of Cincinnati Bengals safety Dax Hill was one of the silver linings we pointed out coming out of the team’s loss to the Cleveland Browns in the opener.

Given Hill’s solid play in his first action since fully taking over for Jessie Bates, he was a hot topic as the Bengals started prep for Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, for example, specifically brought up Hill and his work on tight ends while mentioning the defense’s limiting the Browns to a 4-of-14 mark on third downs, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia.

Anarumo also pointed out some of the general highs and lows of his unit in the opener:

That Hill is already getting singled out for praise is nothing but a good sign for a player who had previously shined in two consecutive preseasons but hadn’t seen meaningful snaps during the regular season.

Even better for Anarumo, Hill’s pairing with free-agent arrival Nick Scott seems like it’s off to a good start, which was one of the biggest question marks for the team overall entering the season.

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Dax Hill receiving praise after preseason Week 1 performance

Big praise for Bengals S Dax Hill.

The Cincinnati Bengals lost some key defensive players from their secondary over the offseason in Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell and Eli Apple and there have been concerns that part of their game might not be as good as it has been in the recent past.

However, in preseason week one against the Green Bay Packers, Sam Monson of PFF was impressed with how Bengals defensive back Dax Hill played.

Here’s what Monson had to say about Hill:

Hill made one of the plays of the game, breaking up the deep shot from Jordan Love to save a touchdown as he came over from the middle of the field. Hill showed outstanding range and was able to get in front of Christian Watson, who had gotten behind rookie DJ Turner and was open for a big play. Hill looked good outside of that flash play and will help the Bengals feel good about their succession plan in the secondary.

It wasn’t much of a question whether Hill would be starting for the Bengals this season after losing a few free agents, but it’s been encouraging to see early results from him so far.

Hill was the only projected Bengals starter to play in this preseason game because he needs extra reps after not starting in his rookie season. What he has shown has been very promising for the Bengals who have been very pleased with what they have seen from the safeties so far.

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Watch: Dax Hill, Tycen Anderson make highlight plays vs. Packers

The future of the safety spot looks great for the Bengals.

Much has been said about how the Cincinnati Bengals might be able to replace the duo of Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell in 2023.

One big name tasked with doing so, Dax Hill, made a huge play early during Friday night’s preseason Week 1 matchup with the Green Bay Packers.

The first-rounder from last year showed off stunning Bates-esque range to make a big play on the ball in a critical situation.

And another, late-rounder from 2022 Tycen Anderson, took an interception back for a touchdown during the game, reminding onlookers that he’s still in the conversation, too.

Here’s a look at that stunning play by Hill:

And the pick by Anderson:

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DJ Turner joked about reunion with Dax Hill on Bengals

The Bengals turned this joke from DJ Turner and Dax Hill into reality during the draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals have reunited college teammates after the 2023 NFL Draft.

DJ Turner, the Bengals second-round pick this year, and Dax Hill, their first-round pick in 2022 played together at Michigan in college.

Mohammed Ahmad of cleveland.com said that Turner would watch Bengals games every Sunday after Hill was drafted, and they joked about possibly playing in Cincinnati together.

“We were talking about it as ‘(I’m) next one out,’” Turner said, per Ahmad. Man, it’s the best thing ever. It’s going to be (like) the secondary we had back at Michigan. I already talked to him (Hill) and everything. I can’t wait.”

Now that is a reality for the college buddies who will team up again, this time in the Bengals secondary.

When Turner and Hill last played together as Wolverines, they combined for 102 tackles and four interceptions.

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Bengals say Dax Hill playing all over defense will help at S in 2023

The Bengals say last year’s tough go for Dax Hill will pay off at safety this year.

Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill was all over the field last year, though not necessarily in a good way.

Rather than getting to learn his long-term position during his first pro year, Hill shuffled around to spots like the slot and both safety spots while Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell soaked up all the starter’s snaps.

But that’s something defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo says will really pay off for Hill when he slides into the starting safety role in 2023.

“I think just getting him down to one position will help,” Anarumo said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “But now that he’s been exposed to a bunch of different things, I think his overall knowledge will be beneficial because of what he did last year.”

Hill? He’s agreeing with the line of thinking: “It’s just regular football. It’s not a huge adjustment. I think (moving around) help me get an understanding of the defense. It’s only going to help me this year.”

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Hill played just 131 snaps last year, though two of his big plays (the game-securing pass breakup in New Orleans and breaking up a Buffalo touchdown in the playoffs) were hints of the huge playmaking ability he flashed in the preseason.

Now free to play his natural role, it’s only safe to presume his snaps all over the alignments will help him better understand things as he moves into a leadership role.

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