Tag: Daxton Hill

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01gm1nthkqx8nb4re5rk playlist_id=01eqbw0bft20de1r4d player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm1nthkqx8nb4re5rk/01gm1nthkqx8nb4re5rk-cf5c95d0bad47b90daace9dd79726d06.jpg]

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.

[listicle id=154414]

Bengals offer injury updates on Dax Hill, DJ Reader and Chris Evans

Injury updates on key Bengals.

[mm-video type=video id=01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48/01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48-5c1174d00ff0fdde796367bfbf234708.jpg]

The news is good news for the Cincinnati Bengals when it comes to key injured players.

Meeting with the media on the Monday after the team’s win over the Carolina Panthers, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor offered encouraging updates.

What looked like a serious knee injury for running back Chris Evans is a PCL issue that earns him a week-to-week status.

That’s the same status first-round defensive back Dax Hill gets after suffering a shoulder injury and leaving Sunday’s win.

Then there’s star nose tackle DJ Reader. Best guess was he’d be able to make it back after the bye given the expected timeline of his injury. Taylor says the team will make a decision next week but sounded positive on the timeline.

Meaning, the Bengals are lucky to have a bye week right now. It won’t get them back someone as important as No. 1 corner Chidobe Awuzie, but three key names — and one top-five player at his position (Reader) — could be back for Week 11 against the Steelers.

[listicle id=153543]

Dax Hill injury creates more depth concerns for Bengals defense

The Bengals have the bye week to figure out the secondary.

[mm-video type=video id=01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48/01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48-5c1174d00ff0fdde796367bfbf234708.jpg]

Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill suffered a shoulder injury during a win over the Carolina Panthers that only makes things seem direr for an injured secondary.

That’s a secondary that will already miss No. 1 corner Chidobe Awuzie for the rest of the season and had to go without starting slot corner Mike Hilton during the win.

Against the Panthers, starting boundary corner Eli Apple had just returned from a nagging issue and depth piece Tre Flowers continues to battle one. Second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt has struggled in each of the last two weeks when asked to step into playing time on the boundary.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor kept it vague on the injury front (including RB Chris Evans’ knee injury) right after the game: “I don’t know where it’s going to stand. They’ll have to do some scans, especially on Chris’ knee, Dax’s shoulder. I think those are the two that we’ll have to get some more information on.”

Hill’s important though given his status as a first-round pick and his ability to play all over the defense.

But there were depth concerns even before Hill’s injury. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has been very open this season about not exposing guys like Hill and CTB too much because of the way it could hurt the overall defense and their development and/or confidence.

That doesn’t mean the Bengals won’t rely on their high draft picks for the remainder of the season. And a notable potential free-agent add like Sidney Jones has already found a new home.

But Apple as a No. 1 and rookies trying to learn on the fly that offenses will consistently attack could create big issues for the secondary, even with one of the league’s best safety tandems trying to assist.

As the Bengals sit on a bye, it’s safe to presume the team might at least review the available options because a free agent added now would have an extra week of prep before actually hitting the field for a game.

[listicle id=153543]

Bengals lose first-rounder Dax Hill to shoulder injury

Another bad injury update for the Bengals.

[mm-video type=video id=01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48/01ggszm727q3vnpj5x48-5c1174d00ff0fdde796367bfbf234708.jpg]

Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill left Sunday’s blowout of the Carolina Panthers with a shoulder injury.

The team later ruled Hill out on a day they had already lost Chris Evans to a serious-looking knee injury.

Severity of Hill’s injury is harder to gauge given that the game was well within hand when the team made the announcement. He was dipping his toes in at cornerback while the team missed Chidobe Awuzie, Tre Flowers and Mike Hilton in the slot.

The Bengals have a bye next week to rest any issues but this won’t stop the budding concerns about depth at cornerback as the season continues.

[listicle id=153521]

Bengals 1st-rounder Dax Hill remaining patient while waiting for chance

Dax Hill with some honest thoughts about his usage so far.

Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill was never a lock to see the field much as a rookie.

That’s what happens when a secondary has superb starters like Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell, even if coaches talked up the rookie’s versatility plenty.

But Hill, who played just one snap in the win over the Dolphins a week ago, is remaining plenty patient.

“You can only control what you can control,” Hill said, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “It depends what the package is. We’ll see what happens. I’m learning. I’m watching the older guys. See how they game plan and how seriously they (prepare) for each game. That’s kind of how I want to approach it.”

It’s a great attitude to have, especially considering in the NFL, the need for Hill to get on the field could change at a moment’s notice.

For what it’s worth, Bengals coaches have been very transparent about why Hill hasn’t been on the field yet, which equates to a combination of risking his confidence and ability prematurely, as well as harming the overall effectiveness of the unit as a whole.

[listicle id=152840]

Bengals explain lack of Dax Hill playing time with Xavien Howard comparison

Some details on the lack of playing time for Bengals first-rounder Dax Hill.

Cincinnati Bengals first-round rookie Dax Hill has seen just a handful of snaps over the first two games of his career.

That’s a mild surprise at best given Hill’s versatility coming out of college in which he floated around multiple safety spots and even cornerback spots. Bengals coaches had been open that’s how he’ll be used as a pro, too.

But for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, communication in the secondary is far too important and complex to throw at a rookie defensive back in Week 1.

Anarumo went so far as explaining that while he coached up superstar defender Xavien Howard in Miami, the future star had tremendous struggles until Week 14 or 15.

Some of Anarumo’s thoughts on the matter, courtesy of Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic:

“D-linemen rotate as everyone knows. Linebackers can rotate. I have been doing this for 30 years and I have never rotated a corner and a safety in my life. And I never will. The starters are the starters for a reason. There’s usually good reason. That kid will get in when I feel it is the right time, the right place, in the right role, in the right game…The communication, high-level pass-offs during a play when these guys are communicating, these younger guys have no idea what that is all about until they can slowly and surely get into it.”

Perhaps this approach would change if the Bengals were desperate for help, but so far the injury bug has been relatively friendly. The Bengals have two 99-percent-snaps safeties and solid starters at all three corner spots for now.

Realistically, Hill was a luxury pick on the chance Bates doesn’t come back after this season. Anarumo stresses how important it is to avoid confidence-shattering mistakes for a young guy like Hill, which they’re currently enjoying doing.

Until something changes, don’t expect to see much of Hill, as mostly expected.

[pickup_prop id=”23911″]

[listicle id=152444]

Bengals reveal how they will use Jessie Bates and Dax Hill together

Lou Anarumo explains his three-safety approach for the Bengals.

[mm-video type=video id=01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz-3ec0f433478cb46a844a339f334ef3d7.jpg]

It was only a matter of time before the Cincinnati Bengals had Dax Hill and Jessie Bates on the field together.

Bates, as expected, returned to the team from his franchise tag holdout early enough to be ready for Week 1. That formality out of the way, the attention now turns to how defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo might use Hill, Bates and Vonn Bell in a rotation — or on the field together.

Interestingly, Anarumo confirmed Hill — the first-rounder this year — will play special teams as the third safety. He’ll otherwise be involved in the base defense.

“Dax has his role. Jessie has his. They are two separate entities” Anarumo said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “We’ve been practicing Dax at the things he’s going to do through the year even before Jessie got here.”

In other words, Bates will have his normal workload in the expected places. Hill will plug holes all over the defense, as expected. This summer was about prepping him for that, which explains why he saw snaps at both safety spots and at cornerback spots while even working with linebackers to know calls and alignments.

Expect to see plenty of three-safety sets this year from the Bengals, plus Hill just generally all over the place as the first key piece of depth.

[listicle id=152042]

Dax Hill snap counts show what a weapon he is for Bengals defense

Dax Hill is playing all over the place and making an impact.

[mm-video type=video id=01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz-3ec0f433478cb46a844a339f334ef3d7.jpg]

Lost in the hype of Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill making his first career interception during the second week of the preseason?

The fact Hill has played all over the place in various looks and has generally done very well while covering all sorts of weapons.

According to Pro Football Focus’ Andrew Russell, through two preseason games, Hill has taken the majority of his snaps from free safety. But his second-highest usage spot? Linebacker. He’s also played in the slot 12 times and even lined up on the line a few times.

It’s just a good overall illustration of how the team plans to use Hill:

Of course, with Jessie Bates back in the building, those snaps at free safety will go to the star franchise-tagged player. But that just means the Bengals have one of the better three-safety looks in the NFL and Hill has been repping with the ones and will be ready to go.

[pickup_prop id=”23911″]

[listicle id=151762]

Cincinnati Bengals rookie Dax Hill records his first INT

Dax Hill gets the INT in preseason action.

[mm-video type=video id=01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz-3ec0f433478cb46a844a339f334ef3d7.jpg]

Cincinnati Bengals first-round rookie Dax Hill made a big impression on Sunday night in Week 2 of the preseason against the New York Giants.

Hill was all over the field in the first half, showing off that rangy speed from the deep safety spot while playing in place of the franchise-tagged Jessie Bates.

The biggest highlight by a wide margin, though, was his making a diving interception on a second down attempt for the Giants. It was a little bit of right place, right time for Hill, but also his speed and recognition just putting him there in the first place.

The highlight:

Even if Hill had dropped this — he dropped a highlight-worthy pick in Week 1 — the night still would have been a resounding success for a future centerpiece of the defense.

[pickup_prop id=”23911″]

[listicle id=151734]

Bengals planning to show off Dax Hill’s versatility soon

The Bengals have big plans for the first-round rookie.

[mm-video type=video id=01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz/01g8xq9xg2v53xm113zz-3ec0f433478cb46a844a339f334ef3d7.jpg]

Cincinnati Bengals coaches continue to have big plans for first-round safety Dax Hill.

Fans have seen some of that already with Jessie Bates still a holdout. Hill has received the first-team reps in camp and during preseason games, even taking snaps in the slot in things like three-safety looks.

That’s merely a preview of what coaches want to do once Bates returns.

“That’s really what we started doing early was just playing him at free safety and let him ease into life in the NFL just doing that in the spring time and early in training camp,” Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s not as comfortable as he’s going to be with more experience but start to expand that role a little bit. That’s been exciting to see him utilize his skill set and learn different ways and different positions. I feel like he is going to be very valuable for us.” …

The idea of a rookie defender being able to “ease” into the NFL while trying to cover an offense that boasts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, among others, is pretty funny.

But it only reinforces the idea Hill will be plenty ready once the regular season rolls around and he’s playing all over the place while Bates commands that typical rangy safety role.

And as always, should Bates not re-up with the team, Hill will receive invaluable reps before he eventually takes over the role full time as a sophomore.

[listicle id=151754]