The Cincinnati Bengals made life rather miserable for Quinn Ewers in his first NFL start as they coasted to a 45-21 Week 16 win over the Miami Dolphins. Not a bad little boost of positivity in the midst of a 5-10 season, especially for the Bengals' oft-gashed defense.
Had Cincinnati made a couple easy personnel tweaks earlier in the year, though, it's possible the defense wouldn't have looked nearly as bad. What looked like a shaky secondary on paper entering Week 1 is now the most obvious strength on that side of the ball.
That's equal parts optimism-inspiring for 2026 and frustrating as heck that the lighbulb didn't turn on sooner for Zac Taylor and Al Golden. I bet you could get what I'm teeing up in three guesses if I gave 'em to ya.
Bengals waited way too long to move Dax Hill back to boundary cornerback
Once upon a time, Dax Hill was drafted in the first round to be Jessie Bates' replacement at free safety. Did not pan out that way. Hill then moved to outside cornerback in Year 2, only to go down with a torn ACL.
Whether it was Mike Hilton's departure, the coaching staff's assessment of his skill set, or some other reason, Hill got pushed inside to the slot this season. Didn't fare very well.
I mean on one hand, expectations were higher for Cam Taylor-Britt, who proceeded to be benched multiple times for the second straight year. CTB is likely gone in free agency. However, his poor play allowed Hill to go back outside, where he's dominated of late, as my colleague Ryan Fowler highlights;
Bengals DB Dax Hill over the last month:
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) December 21, 2025
• @ BAL: 3 catches on 6 tgts (28 yds)
• @ BUF: 2 catches on 3 tgts (20 yds)
• v BAL: 0 tgts against (18 covg snaps)
• Today: 3 catches on 6 tgts (8 yds)
Hasn’t allowed a TD since W8 and has 3 PBUs in the last four weeks. He’s been…
Dax Hill moved back to boundary CB five weeks ago, he had a rough first outing, but since then, he's allowed 14 yards per game and PFF has him as the 5th highest graded CB. pic.twitter.com/APidVcFEWy
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) December 23, 2025
Between DJ Turner's All-Pro level season and Jalen Davis' incredible emergence as the nickel in Hill's stead, that trio could be the makings of something special in Cincinnati's defensive backfield.
The key will be to retain Davis in free agency, which shouldn't cost an arm and a leg since he was on the practice squad for many years. That would provide key continuity, a familiar veteran mentor for the locker room, and still allow Hill to stick on the boundary.
Will the Bengals' front office come to their senses and actually do this? That's another question altogether. Nothing would surprise me in the negative. Let's hope Taylor and Golden get in Tobin's ear and emphasize how important it is to keep the trio of Turner, Davis, and Hill together for 2026 and beyond.