Steelers Now
A former cornerback of the Pittsburgh Steelers is heading to the NFC.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton is signing to the Detroit Lions 53-man roster, according to Aaron Wilson of Houston’s KPRC2.
Hilton, 31, spent five seasons with the Steelers, who he established himself as one of the best slot cornerbacks in the entire league with.
From 2016-20, Hilton racked up 237 tackles, 9.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 32 passes defensed and seven interceptions.
Hilton began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent out of the 2017 NFL Draft and caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars shortly after. However, he was released as a part of their final roster cuts and signed to the New England Patriots practice squad.
The 5-foot-9, 184-pound corner then joined Pittsburgh after being released by New England about a week later.
Hilton never had the same production he had with the Steelers, but that five-year span earned him a four-year, $24 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021.
From 2021-24, he recorded 283 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 24 passes defensed, six interceptions and one touchdown with the Bengals.
After a successful four-year run in Cincinnati, the team opted not to re-sign him this offseason, despite still playing at a high level and earning a 75.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024, which ranked 22nd among 222 qualified cornerbacks.
However, the Miami Dolphins liked what they saw from Hilton a season ago and signed him in July. He was surprisingly released less than a month later, but signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad last month.
A native of Fayetteville, Georgia, Hilton played college ball at Ole Miss, where he had 225 tackles (156 solo), 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and six interceptions from 2012-15.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers Cornerback Joins NFC Contender
