Troy Hill: What the Browns are getting in their new CB

Scouting report and breakdown on new Browns slot CB, Troy Hill

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Troy Hill joins former Los Angeles Rams teammate John Johnson in the Cleveland Browns’ new-look secondary. It’s a big addition to the cornerback puzzle, with Hill signing a four-year deal worth $24 million to jump to the Browns in free agency.

What are the Browns getting in Hill?

The quick answer: one of the NFL’s most consistent slot corners over the last few years. Hill, who turns 30 in August, has found his NFL home playing both man and zone coverage in the slot with the Rams.

He’s a Youngstown native who wanted to come back home. Hill went to college at Oregon but has never lost his Northeast Ohio roots; he has a “330” tattoo proudly representing the home area code.

At 5-11 and a listed 183 that seems a little light based on his 2020 game film, Hill does have some experience playing outside. But he’s at his best in the slot and matching up against the smaller/quicker slot receivers than the bigger, speed-based outside deep threats. Hill isn’t slow, but he definitely fits the “quicker than fast” moniker.

Since moving into a more prominent role at the start of the 2018 season, Hill has proven he’s got ball skills. He’s picked off seven passes in that time. And he’s dangerous when he gets the ball in his hands; Hill led the NFL in interception return yardage in 2020 with 119, and he scored a league-high two TDs on his three picks. He has 23 total PDs in those three years, too

Playing with Jalen Ramsey, one of the best CBs in the business, forced a lot of throws Hill’s way. He handled himself nicely, thank you very much. From Pro Football Focus,

There are some drawbacks. While Hill is aware in run defense, he does miss some tackles and is more of a hitter than a wrap-and-drop guy. He did register 77 tackles in 2020, a career-high, but PFF also had him for 18 missed tackles, a very unacceptably high number.

Earlier in his Rams career (2017), Hill was suspended for two games by the NFL for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. He’s not been in any trouble since.

His final impression with the Rams was not a good one. Hill played arguably his worst game of the season in the team’s postseason loss to the Packers, giving up a key TD pass and being out of place on another key coverage situation.

But overall, the Browns landed one of the NFL’s best slot corners. He’s an instant upgrade over Kevin Johnson from a year ago. Hill is a twitchier defender with better lateral quickness, ball skills and no durability issues.

Give credit to our own Brad Ward, who lobbied for Hill on the All Eyez on Cleveland podcast a week ago. The other voice on the clip is my own,

The Browns are a better team today after adding Hill for a reasonable contract.