Cincy Jungle
The Cincinnati Bengals currently have both of their starting cornerbacks set to play out the final years of their contracts this fall. While DJ Turner rightfully gets more of the attention as one of the NFL’s best young corners, don’t sleep on what his running mate can do in what could be a breakout campaign for Dax Hill.
It’s been quite the journey for Hill, a 2022 first-round pick out of Michigan who began his career at safety for two seasons, then bounced between slot and boundary corner for the past two years before finally settling in on the boundary for the second half of the 2025 season. He also suffered a torn ACL five games into the 2024 season that slowed his development.
But after getting his bearings while moving to the boundary full time in Week 11 last year, Hill ended the season on a strong note that’s generated a lot of excitement for what he can do over a full season.
Now, Hill will enter the 2026 season as a full-time starter on the boundary, head coach Zac Taylor confirmed on Monday.
“Outside is absolutely where we want him to play. Outside is absolutely where he will play,” Taylor told reporters when asked about Hill’s position status.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden, now in his second season leading the Bengals defense, sees a bright future ahead for the 25-year-old Hill.
“I think clearly when we made that move (moving Hill to the boundary full time), we made great strides as a team, and I think a lot of that also has to do with his personal improvement over that time for Dax and the healing,” Golden told reporters on Monday. “He played with so much confidence down the stretch for us.
“And he brings a physical presence at corner. I would say he’s one of the best tackling corners that there is. He brings length, experience. I see him starting at a whole different level than he was a year ago, fighting through what he had to fight through a year ago.”
It remains to be seen if the Bengals will extend Hill or let him play out what is the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, but one thing is for sure: There’s a lot of hope in the building that he can become a star that helps take this rebuilt defense to the next level.
