Dax Hill Brewing in Lou Anarumo's Lab, Bengals Hope Former First Rounder Makes Successful Switch to Cornerback

The Bengals believe Hill can make a successful transition from safety to cornerback.

Nov 12, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals safety Dax Hill (23) reacts after breaking up a pass intended for Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (3) in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

When Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates left in free agency last offseason, it was viewed as a big deal, but we also saw every other starter and backup on the defensive side of the ball return to the Bengals, along with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. The confidence in maintaining 2022’s look down, run stuffing reputation came from an expectation that the next man up would seamlessly fill the two huge holes left behind. 

That didn’t exactly pan out last season.

The Bengals went from being a team with a +96 point differential in 2022, giving up just 322 points that season to a team that was consistently in the basement of the league in stopping the run. They also had a bad habit of giving up big plays. 

They went from an AFC Championship Game appearance to missing the playoffs in a span of 11 months. The dramatic decline in win production wasn’t solely on the defense, as Cincinnati’s offense struggled and tried to nurse Joe Burrow back to health, but it was clear defensive changes would come in 2024. 

One of those big changes was a position move for former first round pick Dax Hill. Hill's speed and athleticism stuck out last season, but the Bengals decided to move him to cornerback this offseason after inconsistent play on the back end, along with the additions of Geno Stone and Bell in free agency.

Asking him if he “like the change” is fruitless if your goal is to gain a headline answer. He's too smart for that. He did share some insight on how the transition is going for him thus far. 

“It’s obviously a transition that I’ve been stacking every day,” Hill told BengalsTalk.com. “I’m trying to learn something new every day and critique myself whether it’s good or bad. My transition from safety to corner has really helped me in terms of of knowing certain calls or a certain piece on offense happens, knowing a certain call or check to get into but obviously I rely on my safety now just to relay the call to me but I kind of already know what the check is going to be but just having that clarification with my safety I feel like that kinda reassures what I’m playing. Knowing the entire defense from a different perspective only helps me.”

Gaining confidence will only allow the 4.3 second 40-yard dasher to play even faster. Knowing the other positions, especially one like safety will free up his mind for him to do what he likes to do, play fast.

“That’s what I was made to do, fly around, having fun, making plays and I feel like that’s what I want to do in this new position,” Hill said. 

You might remember Anarumo’s motto of “yards not points." It's one of those things that sounds great if a team is winning, but its a rough line to hear as the team misses the playoffs and shows a ranking of 26th in run defense and 28th in passing yards given up per game. 

Anarumo is also called “The Mad Scientist” for a reason. His latest science experiment could yield an explosive, shut down defense they aim to once again become a defense that frustrates AFC rival Patrick Mahomes and other elite quarterbacks.

Bringing Bell back into the fold was one of the key ingredients. Hill’s move is another. Hill is still working on gaining knowledge and experience at his new position, but training camp is on the horizon and he’ll get the chance to practice against a top quarterback and he’ll be charged with defending one of the best wide receivers in the game. 

“You’re going up against some of the best athletes in the world out there,” Hill said. I feel like right now in OTA’s is going to prepare me and training camp, the summer that’s all going to mesh together well to help me for the season.”

Hill lined up with Ja'Marr Chase last week. The star receiver wasted no time explaining to his teammate the types of moves he could face at real speed in certain situations. 

“He was just telling me what he was thinking and I was bouncing some things off of him a little bit,” Hill said of Chase. "He’s going to help me out a lot out there and it’s going to be competitive in training camp.”

Minicamp was more of a collaboration between Chase and Hill. Both guys like to talk smack, but that wasn’t prevalent in June as Hill focuses on wrapping his mind around the cornerback position’s demands. His smack talk future at the position is bright but first he needs to prove to himself, his team and his coaches that he will arrive and execute on game day. 

“I’m more locked in," Hill said. "but once I loosen up a little bit I feel like I’ll say a little bit of stuff, but I’m staying composed right now. I haven’t really arrived yet."

Watch our entire 1-on-1 conversation with Hill in the video below:

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