Tag: Mike Hilton

Mike Hilton was PFF’s highest graded DB in NFL for Week 8

Bengals CB Mike Hilton deserves the spotlight.

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the San Fransisco 49ers by two touchdowns in Week 8, holding what has been a powerful offense to 17 points, and cornerback Mike Hilton was a big part of that performance.

Hilton was the highest-rated defensive back in the entire NFL for Week 8, grading out at a 91.7 on Pro Football Focus. In the game he had four tackles, one for a loss and matched up well with 49ers receivers.

So far this season in seven games he has three passes broken up, 27 tackles, and one interception, putting together the beginning of another solid year with the Bengals.

Hilton is in his third season with Cincinnati after spending his first four with the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers, and has been a key to turning the Bengals defense around from where it was before they were a Super Bowl contending team.

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Mike Hilton joins Bengals 2023 team captains

A look at 2023 Bengals team captains.

The Cincinnati Bengals announced 2023 team captains, adding in cornerback Mike Hilton in place of a couple of departures.

With veteran safety Michael Thomas on the practice squad and Vonn Bell gone via free agency, the Bengals added Hilton to the list during Monday’s official announcement:

  • QB Joe Burrow
  • DL DJ Reader
  • DL Sam Hubbard
  • OL Ted Karras
  • RB Joe Mixon
  • CB Mike Hilton

The veteran cornerback felt like one of the “snubs” over the last few years, so it feels like the right time for it to happen here.

Hilton dropped a comment above the announcement as soon as the team made it official:

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Mike Hilton: Young Bengals defenders have ‘big shoes to fill’

A Bengals veteran is excited for new faces to step up.

The Cincinnati Bengals regular season is approaching quickly with expectations still very after they have made it to back-to-back AFC Championships and almost won a Super Bowl.

Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton believes even after losing a few key defensive players, they will still be fine on that end of the ball with some young players taking their spots. He believes with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo they can still make a run at a third straight year in the AFC title game, or even a Super Bowl win.

“We know those guys are ready and they’re stepping into some big shoes to fill,” Hilton said. “But we feel like as a defense as a whole we’ve been with Lou for so long and know what he likes to call. Communication and chemistry just flows throughout the defense and we’re going to show it throughout the season.”

Hilton also said they will be taking the season one game at a time, so the expectations of making a deep run in the playoffs again don’t get to them. He believes the Bengals talent is good enough that they can make it back if they just take it one play at a time.

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Mike Hilton has simple answer to Odell Beckham’s Bengals hot take

Mike Hilton responds.

The Cincinnati Bengals caught a bit of trash talk earlier this week from current Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in an unexpected way.

Beckham, talking about his performance with the Los Angeles Rams during the Super Bowl two years ago, effectively said he would have gone for 200-plus yards in a 20-plus-point win if he hadn’t suffered an injury against the Bengals in that game.

Naturally, at least one Bengals player was asked about these comments in the following days. Cornerback Mike Hilton had a simple, effective response: “We’ll see you Week 2. That’s all I got to say.”

Joe Danneman of Fox 19 captured the response, which sets the table nicely for Bengals-Ravens in Week 2:

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Mike Hilton praised as underrated, helping Bengals ‘big brother’ over Steelers

Some fun commentary on Bengals CB Mike Hilton and the Steelers.

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Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton is one of the NFL’s most underrated cornerbacks in the mind of analyst Cameron Wolfe.

Appearing on “Good Morning Football,” Wolfe listed Hilton as one of the three most underrated cornerbacks in the NFL, citing not only his physicality but his role in helping turn around the entire Bengals program.

While doing so, Wolfe also tossed some proverbial salt in the wound to other fanbases in the AFC North by pointing out that Hilton helped after parting ways with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I’ve been in the locker room,” Wolfe said. “He talked about being a Pittsburgh Steeler and looking at the Cincinnati Bengals as maybe the little brother. Then he goes over to the [Bengals] and helps make them big brother.”

The Bengals were on the trajectory of changing the program in a way that would shift the entire division, but Hilton is certainly one of the best examples of that idea in action.

Not only is Hilton 3-1 against the Steelers already, he’s surpassed mere divisional rivalries by proving he’s one of the better slot corners in the league.

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The NFL’s 11 best slot defenders

Doug Farrar continues his positional lists of the NFL’s best players with the 11 best slot defenders heading into the 2023 NFL season.

In the 2022 NFL season, defenses played nickel (five defensive backs) on 12,630 opponent passing attempts. Defenses played dime (six defensive backs) on 2,715 opponent dropbacks. With just 3,206 opponent dropbacks against four defensive backs last season, base defense is no longer base defense — nickel is the new base, and has been for some time.

Moreover, the influx of three-safety looks in the NFL has increased, as has the specific “big nickel” looks with three safeties and two cornerbacks.

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The point of this preamble? That slot defenders are more important than they’ve ever been. Whether it’s in a more traditional nickel or dime look with just one slot defender, or defenses aligning two slot defenders to the strong side of the 3×1 formation, slot defenders aren’t just pre-emptive starters anymore — they’re integral parts of modern defenses, and good luck having a great defense without at least one.

Slot defenders have their own skill sets. It’s not like it was 20 years ago, when the smallest, slowest defensive back on a roster was relegated to the slot. Now, those guys need to have the coverage skills of cornerbacks, the run-stopping abilities of strong safeties, and the blitz instincts of linebackers.

It’s a fascinating gig.

As Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup said in this week’s edition of the “Xs and Os” podcast/video, the requirements for top-tier slot defenders make it a unique position.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect secondary

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“Slot defenders are an interesting breed. They can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be smaller, like Mike Hilton, who I think is one of the best slot defenders in the league. They can be bigger; it depends on what you want. But think of it this way — I know the numbers might be going down a bit, but teams line up in 11 personnel [one running back, one tight end, three receivers] a majority of the time. And teams are playing out of 11 personnel on first down — on second-and-3. What we consider normal down-and-distance situations where the run game is part of the offense. It’s not jst a third-down situation.

“Your slot defender is not just a pass defender. Your slot defender has to be able to defend the run, because there are a lot of teams that run toward the slot defender, because they know he’s not as good a run defender as you’d see running to the other side, where you might have bigger bodies. He also has to be part of pressure schemes. How often do we see slot defenders in today’s NFL as blitzers?

“So, not only do you have to play man coverage against receivers who have a two-way go, you also have to play underneath zone coverage, which is different than playing underneath zone coverage if you’re an outside cornerback. There are different rules, because zones all have their own rules.”

As has been the case with other defensive backs on this year’s list, the transfer of power from season to season is inconsistent, at best. Just two slot defenders from last year’s list — Derwin James and Kyle Dugger — made it in the 2023 group. Sometimes, that was about positional changes; other times, the performances from last year’s top slot defenders were simply eclipsed by the new guys.

No matter how you slice it, it’s tough to be a great slot defender in today’s NFL, and here are out 11 best heading into the 2023 season.

The NFL’s 11 best cornerbacks
The NFL’s 11 best safeties

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

Bengals’ Cam Taylor-Britt has made big improvements

Cam Taylor-Britt just keeps getting better for the Bengals.

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The Cincinnati Bengals lost a few big players out of their secondary from last year, but in his second year, Cam Taylor-Britt is making some big improvements.

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com talked with Taylor-Britt after his rookie season and he feels that he has made some big improvements since he was drafted.

Taylor-Britt said he believes that he is much more mature on the field and off the field than he was last season.

He made some major improvements throughout the season last year, getting matched up with Stefon Diggs in the playoffs and holding him to only two catches and 11 yards.

Hobson also talked to Mike Hilton, and he said he believes Taylor-Britt could be one of the best cornerbacks in the game.

“You can see how athletic he is and he’s not afraid to tackle. He’s a guy that can really be around a long time,” Hilton said.

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Bengals CB Mike Hilton latest to hype rookie DJ Turner

Bengals CB Mike Hilton is excited to get on the field with DJ Turner.

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It would appear in the aftermath of the 2023 NFL draft that the hype just keeps on growing for Cincinnati Bengals second-round pick DJ Turner.

Turner, the speedy corner from Michigan and former teammate of 2022 first-rounder Dax Hill, continues to get praise from guys inside the organization, especially for how his game will complement the overall unit.

“In this game, speed kills man. You have a DC (defensive coordinator) like Lou (Anarumo) who can dial up stuff up and put guys in position to make plays, it’s big for us on defense,” cornerback Mike Hilton said, according to Mohammad Ahmad of Cleveland.com.

Hilton is especially hyped because Hill told him that Turner will arrive and be able to take a similar approach to the game as he does.

“A guy that can come in there, cover a lot of ground and make a lot of plays. Like I said, with Lou upstairs, I know he’ll put some good stuff together,” Hilton said. “The way he makes plays on the ball, Dax said he can handle similar physicality to me and that’s a great thing to hear.”

It’s not just players in the organization, either — Turner even got a phone call from Bengals modern great Leon Hall.

With Chidobe Awuzie still rehabbing an injury and Anarumo’s creativity with subpackages, Turner could get a very real chance to impact games early and attempt to match some of the hype.

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Mike Hilton wants Bengals to play Chiefs in season opener

Bengals CB Mike Hilton is one of many who want to see Bengals vs. Chiefs in Week 1.

The Cincinnati Bengals might not open the regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs despite it being a popular pick.

But that hasn’t stopped Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton from campaigning for the idea.

Like everyone else, Hilton said he’s looking forward to the showdowns with Kansas City and Buffalo — but also spotlighted that cross-conference battle with the San Francisco 49ers.

Asked if he wants the Bengals and Chiefs to meet again, this time in the league’s season opener, Hilton had the obvious answer.

“Absolutely,” Hilton said, according to Mohammad Ahmad of Cleveland.com. “I’m pretty sure that’s the game everyone wants to see opening night. So hopefully, to the schedule release guys, ya’ll make sure that happens.”

Hilton and fans alike will know soon — the NFL plans to unveil the schedule Thursday night, revealing how and when the Bengals will plan an intriguing list of opponents.

Hilton’s full comments are here:

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Mike Hilton recruits Mike Gesicki to Bengals — and gets a reply

So…this one is worth watching.

The Cincinnati Bengals have a need at tight end and could be a player for some of free agency’s biggest names.

Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton seems to know it, too.

Hilton, often a recruiter for top players on social media, took to Twitter and threw a recruiting pitch at Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki.

And Gesicki even replied, noting that No. 88 is available in Cincinnati after the team lost Hayden Hurst to the open market.

This is all good fun and players do this all the time now, of course. But Gesicki would be an amazing addition to the offense. He was our top Hurst replacement available and is a 6’6″ weapon who might seek out a prove-it deal. To say he’d be an upgrade would be an understatement.

Here’s a screenshot of the exchange in case it gets deleted:

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