Tag: Daxton Hill

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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Bengals coaches confident in Dax Hill as starter in 2023

The Bengals don’t have any concerns about the first-rounder stepping into his role.

The Cincinnati Bengals, as expected, will throw Dax Hill into the fire next season as a starter.

And the coaches aren’t stressed about the 2022 first-round pick assuming the spot previously held by Jessie Bates much at all.

Speaking with the media while announcing the signing of free-agent safety Nick Scott, Bengals defensive backs coach Rob Livingston expressed a ton of confidence in Hill.

“I have a lot of stresses and worries in my life and he’s not one of them,” Livingston said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “He’s a first-round pick for a reason.”

Livingston commented on Hill’s highs and lows last year, which fans saw plenty of all year. He had some brutal, rookie mistakes down the stretch when given limited snaps at various spots. But he was also one of those preseason standouts, making big plays and flashing the near-Bates-esque upside at times.

Nobody would dare suggest Hill will have a perfect season as a “rookie” on the field in 2023. But Livingston’s confidence is warranted, as what they saw on film before drafting him is something they want to slot into the overall defense next to Scott.

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Cam Taylor-Britt and Dax Hill ready to ‘take over’ for Bengals

Two key Bengals are ready to step up.

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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Chidobe Awuzie playing mentor role for Dax Hill

Awuzie says he sees a lot of similarities between his early years and Dax’s rookie season.

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie has made a point to help out his fellow secondary members in any way possible since suffering his season-ending injury.

That includes making sure he’s got the back of first-round rookie Dax Hill, who was called into emergency duty down the stretch and in the playoffs at times while Tre Flowers battled through injury.

Awuzie says he sees the parallels between his early career and what Hill’s going through now — and that he’ll be far, far better for it once he’s allowed to settle down into one position.

“I would say for Dax, it’s a matter of, now that you have all this knowledge, use it and try to take something from each position that you learned,” Awuzie said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “When hopefully you do hone in on one position, then you know who is around you, what their assignment is. You know what their alignment is. That can lend you to be a better player.”

Awuzie added: “When I first came into the league, it was the same way. I was playing dime, nickel, safety, corner. I took those knowledge points to, now I know what the corner is thinking. It allowed me to play a little bit more free. I would advise Dax that way.”

There’s no firm timeframe on Awuzie’s actual return date for the Bengals, though he’ll be the No. 1 corner again once healthy. He actually returned to the team and sidelines as much as he could after the injury to help out.

As for Hill, he’s been playing all over the secondary since college. If and when the team loses Jessie Bates in free agency, he’s projected to take over the starting safety role, potentially next to Vonn Bell (also scheduled to be a free agent).

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Bengals avoid Dax Hill in B/R 2022 re-draft

The Bengals go a different route in a re-draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals used a first-round pick on Dax Hill in 2022 as a long-term move to shore up the secondary on the strong likelihood of Jessie Bates’ departure this offseason.

But were a re-draft to occur, would the Bengals do the same thing again?

Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon set out to answer that very question with a 2022 re-draft and with the 31st pick, has the Bengals actually picking Georgia offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer:

“The reworked offensive line in Cincinnati has survived, not necessarily thrived. Jamaree Salyer had experience at multiple spots in college, and he showed off that versatility as the emergency left tackle for the Chargers in 2022. Salyer could have provided the same impact after a knee injury ended Bengals right tackle La’el Collins’ year in December.”

The right side of Cincinnati’s line got destroyed in the AFC title game when the Chiefs lined up Chris Jones on the edge and found other ways to get favorable matchups. So, it’s understandable a re-draft might look at that and go away from Hill.

But realistically, few lines in the NFL are going to survive losing three starters right as the playoffs start. Hill played a few key snaps against tight ends in place of the injured Tre Flowers and will fully take over the safety role when Bates likely leaves via free agency in a few months.

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Bengals might need big showing from rookie Dax Hill vs. Bills

The rookie might need to step up big in the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie Dax Hill might need the biggest performance of his career so far if his team is to get past the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs.

The first-rounder hasn’t played much all season behind the likes of Jessie Bates, instead filling in at corner when needed.

But that might change in Buffalo, where cornerback Tre Flowers is a likely scratch from the game after receiving a “doubtful” designation on the final injury report.

Flowers is the unofficial tight-end stopper for the defense, a chess piece that coordinator Lou Anarumo deploys against the likes of Travis Kelce to swing outcomes.

Hill likely steps into that role now and it’s on one of the biggest stages possible against Buffalo’s Dawson Knox. He had a slow start to his year but has caught fire as of late, catching a touchdown in five consecutive games.

The Bengals defense needs Hill or whoever else steps into that role to lock things down. That could include throwing linebackers at Knox. Either way, the secondary will otherwise already have its hands full trying to contain superstar wideout Stefon Diggs, never mind accounting for quarterback Josh Allen’s ability to take off and run.

Hill, who had three penalties in the wild card round, could provide a boon to the defense if he can step up. The ball’s predictably coming his way, so it’s on the rookie to elevate his game for his team when it’s win-or-go-home time.

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Bengals rookie Dax Hill possibly in line for first NFL start

With notables on the Bengals injury report, the first-rounder could get the start.

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Cincinnati Bengals fans might finally get a look at first-round pick Dax Hill — just not in the standard safety spot.

Hill, who has played just a handful of snaps all season after being the 31st pick in the draft, could get the start in the slot against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Injuries might force the team’s hand, just like the Chidobe Awuize season-ender did with second-rounder Cam Taylor-Britt. Starter Mike Hilton has a knee issue that caused him to miss the first two practices this week and it’s the same for backup Jalen Davis.

That leaves Hill, who has repped at safety this year. He’s called the situation going “back to my old stomping grounds,” according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.

Indeed, considering Hill played 900-plus snaps in the slot at Michigan, plus a heavy heaping at both safety spots while getting less than 50 reps at outside corner.

Barring something unexpected between now and kickoff on Sunday during a late-afternoon kickoff, the Bengals will finally need to rely on their first two picks to put on a strong showing — against Brady, of all players.

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