Bengals cornerback Dax Hill not only plans to be in uniform on the field and not on a list for Wednesday's first day of training camp, but he also thinks at some point this season he'll be running faster than his blistering 4.38-second 40-yard dash from his 2022 NFL scouting combine.

With all eyes taking attendance on the Bengals defense Wednesday, Hill has quietly been cleared and is set to be in individual drills with the plan to be ready on Opening Day. It's a huge lift for the Bengals, since Hill was their best cornerback when he tore his ACL in last season's fifth game on Oct. 6.

"That's the plan," said Hill Monday as he prepped for a walkthrough with the rookies. "They'll ease me into things once everyone is back. No rush.

"It seems like I'll be able to perform. We'll see how training camp goes."

So far, so good, according to head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Al Golden at Monday's Training Camp Media Luncheon at Paycor Stadium.

"He looks great, looks healthy and going everything full speed," Golden said.

Taylor won't rush him, but he says Hill is good to go.

"We've seen what we needed to see from him," Taylor said. "He's through all the rehab stuff, so now it's just us progressing him through the football activities."

When Hill was last doing football activities, he was playing the best ball of his career that began with the Bengals' first-round pick in 2022.

"I definitely want to make sure I'm in the right state of mind. Not just because of the injury, I just want to pick up where I left off," Hill said. "I was trending upward and then the injury. But I feel like if I just come back and have that same mindset that I did before I got hurt, I feel like I'll be good."

The Bengals are thrilled where Hill is mentally. Often at this point when a rehab becomes football, that's the biggest obstacle. Not the injury. But there have been no head games for Hill.

Hill says he got a boost from talking to safety Tycen Anderson and cornerback DJ Ivey, who were felled by ACLs in 2023 and came back better than fine last year.

"They had the same routine I had, basically. I talked to them and they gave me encouragement," Hill said. "That was the biggest thing. Relating to somebody about it and not feeling alone about it."

He says he was far from alone among family, friends and Bengals rehab chief Nick Cosgray. Hill can go into Cosgray's office and see signed autographed jerseys in frames from A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert, just two of the Bengals he helped nurse to Pro Bowls after they'd been hurt.

"Sometimes he'd do it even without the papers," Hill said of the rehab printout. "He's been at this for 20 years. I just know him as a trainer and knew I was in good hands."

Cosgray and head trainer Matt Summers actually gave Hill the timeline from Anderson's rehab, since Hill was hurt in early October and Anderson in late October. Like Anderson, Hill has been cleared for camp. He'd love to do what Anderson did next, which is play in every game on the way to being named the Bengals' Ed Block Courage Award winner. Anderson also led NFL gunners in tackles, but Hill is going to be too busy for that after lining up both outside and inside for Golden.

"We need to have guys that can play corner to nickel. We need guys that can play safety to nickel. We need some guys that can play from corner to safety," Golden said. "Dax gives us that."

His breathtaking ability to close on the ball and the man should still be there, Hill says. "I'm still young," he says. Hill, who turns 25 on the Monday night in Denver the Bengals play their fourth game of the season, says the one-year anniversary of the injury the week after Mile High should signify he's either back to full speed or close.

"I still feel explosive,' Hill said. "The crazy thing about it is I feel like I'm a lot faster than that (4.38 combine 40). I'm way faster than that. It was just the cleats I had. I practiced with lightweight cleats and ran in the same cleats. I thought it was for the best, but it wasn't. I feel like I can go low 4.3s. I'm saying in that same range after a full year."

QB Move To UC Icon

In the name of roster upgrade, following Desmond Ridder's workout Sunday the Bengals switched him out with Logan Woodside as the veteran No. 3 QB challenged by undrafted rookie Payton Thorne. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher says Jake Browning remains Joe Burrow's backup.

Ridder is a lot more than a No. 3 QB in Cincinnati. A Louisville native, Ridder is one of the greatest leaders and winners the University of Cincinnati has ever had. Dan Hoard, the voice of the Bengals as well as the voice of the Bearcats, says Ridder is a great add in the locker room.

"Off the charts. Phenomenal. One of the nicest guys in the world," Hoard says. "Never lost a home game. Had a 44-6 record in the games where he played a lot. It will just be nice to say hello to him every day."

Plus, he's got more experience than the typical No. 3 with an 8-10 NFL record.

Money Mac Nicked

Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons revealed Monday that kicker Evan McPherson hurt his ankle during the spring, but that he recovered before the mandatory minicamp and they don't have to bring another kicker into camp.

McPherson is looking for a bounce-back year after Simmons observed problems with the operation between snapper and holder and kicker. The holder is going to be the same in punter Ryan Rehkow, but there is a long snapper competition between incumbent Cal Adomitis and Michigan undrafted rookie William Wagner.

"He was showing good improvement and then he tweaked his ankle, on a day we had that it was raining out here," Simmons said. "We kind of had to start over again, but I think he feels good, feels really positive about where it's at now. Hopefully, we can continue the things we're working on before he got dinged a little bit."

Trey, Stewart Status

Bengals president Mike Brown, who oversaw the two biggest rookie deals ever up to that point signed back-to-back in 1994 and 1995, has seen all kinds of rookie deals get done at the zero hour. He does call discussions with current first-round pick Shemar Stewart "peculiar," because it's over language and not money. But he also says it's going to get done.

"I think eventually that's going to happen. I don't think it's going to happen today or tomorrow, but at some point it will," Brown said Monday.

As for NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson, he's under contract for this year, but says he won't report to camp until he gets an extension. Brown, back in the spring, signed off on deals making wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback on offense in the league and Tee Higgins one of the NFL's seven highest-paid receivers. He says these things get done.

"(Hendrickson has) proven to be an important player for us. He's a valuable player. He makes a difference. We want to get him signed.," Brown said. "I don't despair of it. It's difficult. We get to this point in the year, and there's always Chase to sign, or there's Joe Burrow to sign, this year Hendrickson to sign.

"There seems to be somebody, and that's alright, that's how the system works. We try to get it done, and we're still in there trying. I'm not the one doing it, but our guys are working on it as we sit right here. We'll see where it ends up."

Slants and Screens

How do the Bengals see themselves heading into training camp? Duke Tobin, the director of player personnel, said it all while referring to Stewart.

"He can be a really a good piece of our football team, which is a championship caliber football team," Tobin said …

The changing of the guard is one of the biggest topics on the camp agenda. Third-round pick Dylan Fairchild gets the nod at left guard, where incumbent Cordell Volson is going to get a shot to reclaim it out of the second group.

Right guard and center are the only spots on the line where Cody Ford didn't start last year. He'll get a shot at right guard this year in a competition with free-agent pickup Lucas Patrick.

Patrick is a formidable foe. He turns 32 next week and has started 58 games in the decade at both guards and center for the Packers, Bears and Saints. If he starts Opening Day, the Bengals become the fourth different team he's done that for.

"I think he'll be a good presence in that room for some of those younger guys and he'll really help us," Pitcher said. "No matter what the role is that he ends up having. He's going to be a positive contributor to the team.

"We want to put Dylan in the best possible chance he can be in to have success. Obviously, it's hard to be a rookie in this league. We know that, but he's done everything the right way. His approach … we're very confident that he's going to be able to step up to the plate. Cordell will work in there with him a little bit and we really see it as a good competition." …

Simmons says wider receiver Charlie Jones (their top punt returner) and Jermaine Burton are going to see time as a kick-return tandem. In the second year of the new kickoff rule, Simmons is looking for sure handers. He anticipates opposing kickers to spray the ball more to force returns and take fewer touchbacks …