Former Bengals first round pick ready to embrace new role

Third-year player Dax Hill will be playing a new position for the Cincinnati Bengals next season, as the team plans to move him from safety to cornerback.

Hill, who Cincinnati selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, played cornerback in college, so he has some experience at the position, and as a result he's eager to embrace the change in Cincinnati's secondary.

"I love covering," Hill said. "That's something I've always done pretty well in college. So I'm kind of just glad that I'm back in that same similar role and just looking forward to competing."

Overall, Hill doesn't think that it will be too big of an adjustment to move from one position in the secondary to another.

"For the most part, it's kind of similar," Hill said. "Covering different types of bodies, but at the same time, I'm still covering, you know, quality people. It's different but going to be some running there, but I feel like that's something I'm able to do."

Taylor confident Hill can make the switch

It's not too often that players change positions mid-career, but Bengals coach Zac Taylor is confident that Hill will be able to make a smooth transition thanks to his athleticism and versatility.

“One of the reasons you took him was because of all the various things you'd seen on tape from him,” Taylor said of Hill. “He's a superb athlete, he's got great size, and he did a good amount of coverage at Michigan, playing inside covering slots, played some outside. The versatility is what made him the pick that he was. We're really excited for his future. He has done a tremendous job embracing this opportunity, and I'm excited to see him go out there and compete.”

Thanks to some solid additions via free agency and the draft, Cincinnati's secondary feels much deeper than it did just a couple of months ago -- at both positions. Hill started in 17 games for the Bengals last season, but how many he'll start next season remains to be seen.