This may only be a short-term Band-Aid over a larger problem, but it's nevertheless frustrating that the Cincinnati Bengals are once again moving Dax Hill off his best position on the field.
Look, I get that Jalen Davis' injury has put Cincinnati's secondary in a tough spot for at least the next month. Maybe the coaching staff doesn't trust practice squad nickelback Bralyn Lux to fill in. And Josh Newton, despite being listed as the backup nickel, must still be in the doghouse.
But this seems like such an avoidable blunder. Hill is a stud as a boundary corner. Now, we're back to where we were in Week 1 last season, playing Dax out of position and praying for the best opposite DJ Turner on the perimeter.
Dax doesn't enjoy playing in the slot...not even a little bit
The Bengals confirmed the adjusted strategy in the secondary with their newest depth chart release, which revealed Dax Hill as the No. 1 nickel.
Dax was kidding but not really when, back in May, he wasn't told whether he'd for sure stay on the boundary or be plopped back in the slot. He hoped for the sake of his development and mental health that he wouldn't move from the outside.
Staying at outside corner is “ideal” for the mental health of Dax Hill. pic.twitter.com/peUXc23kLS
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 5, 2026
You see, Hill was supposed to be the successor to Jessie Bates when the Bengals drafted him in the first round back in 2022. It didn't pan out that way. He was dreadful at safety once Bates left in 2023. After moving to outside cornerback and finding immediate success, Hill tore his ACL in 2024.
Last season, it took Cam Taylor-Britt being an absolute fool off the field and an eventual season-ending injury for Al Golden and Zac Taylor to have the wherewithal to shake something up.
That's when Jalen Davis started balling at nickelback, and Hill was free to roam back to his most natural position.
Bengals moved Dax Hill to Outside CB in Week 11.
— Marcus Whitman (@TFG_Football) March 2, 2026
From that point on:
- Allowed just 15 Rec on 30 targets (50% Rec % Ranked 9th/61st)
- Allowed just 22.6 Yards Per Game
- 6 PBUs to 0 TDs Allowed
- PFFs 10th Rated CB
- Just 2 Missed Tackles (6.3% Ranked 11th/61 CBs)
PFF has Hill allowing a mere 72.3 passer rating this season, with 134 of his 199 snaps coming as a boundary cornerback. So it's not like he hasn't played in the slot at all, but it's clear where Hill is at his best.
What the rest of the Bengals cornerback corps looks like after the Dax decision
D.J. Ivey is apparently in line to start in Dax Hill's stead. Although he's a fine player and had a training camp that knocked Newton down in the pecking order, Ivey was a seventh-round pick a few years ago and isn't some absolute world beater or elite physical tools guy like Dax.
Again, it's possible that this is a brief tweak. It helps that the Bengals have an early Week 6 bye and face the hapless Miami Dolphins the last game before then.
Nevertheless, I'm not trying to have this turn into a Ja'Sir Taylor situation for any period of time. Taylor was signed this offseason as nickel insurance, but he has a 19.6% missed tackle rate and a 112.9 career passer rating allowed. If he's ever counted on as the guy in the slot, we're about to be in a world of hurt as Bengals fans.
Let's hope this works out and that Week 3's debacle in Pittsburgh wasn't indicative of how bad this secondary actually is. It also doesn't help that Kyle Dugger and Bryan Cook came out of that Steelers loss banged up, which leaves the Bengals very thin in the defensive backfield.
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