The Bengals drafted Dax Hill with the idea that he could become a replacement for Jessie Bates at safety.
But after starting 17 games as a safety last season, Cincinnati has decided to move Hill to outside corner.
It’s a significant shift, but one Hill said he’s been able to make.
“It’s been good,” Hill said, via Laurel Pfahler of the Dayton Daily News. “I feel like obviously it was a transition, one I’m going to have to make but I feel comfortable. I trust the coaches. They’ve been preparing me well. Right now, just with OTAs, there’s only certain things we can do right now, but they’ve been getting me prepared.”
While Hill played significant time at slot corner during his college career at Michigan, the Bengals brought back Mike Hilton this offseason to play that position. So, Hill is in a position battle to play a more unfamiliar role.
“To be honest, a lot of people think I played corner before, but I haven’t played too much, so I really have to start from square one and take it a day at a time,” Hill said. “Right now I feel like it’s been good. First day it was just a little bit different. Now I feel a little bit better in my techniques and certain things like that.”
Last season, Hill recorded 110 total tackles with 11 passes defensed, two interceptions, and 1.5 sacks while playing every defensive snap for Cincinnati.