Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor Delivers Clarity on Dax Hill’s Role in 2024

CINCINNATI – The immediate aftermath of the NFL Draft doesn’t usually bring that many answers. It simply changes the questions.

Can this guy win a starting job? Can that guy make the team? What position is so-and-so’s best fit?

For the Cincinnati Bengals, this year’s draft brought some rare clarity to one of the biggest questions facing the team this offseason.

Cincinnati Bengals’ Dax Hill Moving From Safety to Cornerback

Head coach Zac Taylor at first declined to answer the question he’s been fielding for months about where Dax Hill will play in 2024. As the next question was coming in, you could see Taylor reconsidering his response.

“Can I go back one second?” he asked. “It wouldn’t be fair to Dax. Before everybody starts tweeting it out, he’ll be in the corner room right now.

“Now that we’ve got through the draft and seen how the draft’s gonna lay out, it does make sense for me to address that now,” Taylor added.

Taylor said Hill has known it for a while now, and that the comments the 2022 first-round pick made on the first day of the offseason program about not knowing what his role be were by Taylor’s request.

Not that any of it is a surprise. Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo were clear in that they expected more from Hill in his first season as a starter at safety.

And when the team signed safety Geno Stone and brought back safety Vonn Bell after one year in Carolina, it was clear Hill was going to be moving positions.

“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.

“We’ve seen it from him, and we think it’s the best opportunity right now to help our team,” Taylor added. “Again, 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.”

"Love you" -Daijahn
"Love you, too, bro" -Zac

THE CALL to @daijahn5 | @IEL_LLC pic.twitter.com/5NiVBFZwc5

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 27, 2024

The Bengals drafted TCU cornerback Josh Newton in the fifth round and Mississippi safety Daijahn Anthony in the sixth. The team is high on both players, but they do not affect the layout of the plan for Hill in 2024.

KEEP READING: 2024 NFL Draft Complete Results, Recap, Order, and All 257 Picks

Hill will battle former Michigan teammate DJ Turner II for the starting job opposite Cam Taylor-Britt, while Mike Hilton returns to his role as the starting slot corner.

Asked if he believes Hill can push to win that starting job, Taylor answered in two words.

“I do.”

Looking for everything you need surrounding the 2024 NFL Draft? Make sure to check out the latest draft results, overall team grades, and updated best remaining players available at every position!