Last week, after Dax Hill had the most productive game by a Bengals cornerback in some 20 years, cornerbacks coach Chuck Burks called him "probably our most versatile piece in the secondary."
"Dax can do whatever you ask," Burks said then, and now a week later they're making another ask for Sunday's game (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) against the Jaguars at Paycor Stadium.
With slot cornerback Jalen Davis out with a hamstring injury for a month and another, Ja'Sir Taylor, not eligible to come off IR with his own hamstring issue until Monday, Hill is headed back into the slot as the nickel corner.
And what looks to be a matchup with Jags' leading receiver Parker Washington.
Par for the course for Hill, an avid golfer when he can. He came into the league as a Michigan nickel corner who switched to safety in the NFL and took more than 1,000 snaps there during his second season in 2023. The next year he switched to outside corner, tore his ACL five games in, and then started every game outside last year as he and DJ Turner II emerged as a formidable tandem.
Turner looked at Hill after Wednesday's practice and said what he's been saying since he came into the league three years ago.
"No one can do what he can do," Turner said. "He's just different. He can do it all." Told Hill doesn't seem to get recognized for his versatility, Turner said, "I know. I've been saying it for years and years and years."
If Hill ever wondered where his career would be if he played on the outside his entire five seasons in the league, he's stopped and is embracing the term, "Versatile."
Blessing or curse?
"Blessing. A great blessing," said Hill, who said back in the spring it'd be better for his mental health if he stayed outside.
Burks could have also said he's their most selfless DB, as well as their most versatile.
"I'm excited for the moments and I'll be ready. I'll never go out there for the team not prepared," Hill said. "Whether it be inside or outside. I'm an open book at this point. I don't know what each year is going to look like. I'm just going to accept it."
It's not like he never goes in the slot when he's outside. During last week's film review for Bengals.com, Burks showed Hill making some of the better plays of his 10-tackle, four-passes-defensed effort in Houston out of the slot, and he's taken about 15% of snaps in there this season.
Burks certainly wonders what all the fuss is about.
"I think people make too much of a big deal with that. You put these guys in position to do what they do best," Burks said last week of inside-outside. "And what he does best is coverage man-to-man, and he can blitz, and he can tackle."
Before practice Wednesday, defensive coordinator Al Golden sketched out his comfort with Hill anywhere.
"I love the man. Phenomenal person. Unselfish," Golden said. "I didn't have any intention of putting him inside. We pressed him into duty during the game. He's tough inside. It's not too big for him. I'm impressed with his knowledge and recall."
Golden knows how life is different inside. The plays come faster. Suddenly switching from a run fit to a zone drop. Coordinating with both linebackers and cornerbacks. But he's got Hill, fast, physical and knowing what's inside with the 5-10, 204-pound Washington.
"I know they feed him. They've been doing it the last couple of weeks," Hill said. "He moves laterally. A strong catcher … We've got to be ready … He moves around a little bit."
Which should work, since Hill does too.
All In
Erick All Jr., the Bengals' take-no-prisoners tight end, is appreciative of all the nice words coming his way from his teammates and head coach after he sprinted from near the goal line back to midfield to try to rescue quarterback Joe Burrow's fumble that ended last Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.
Appreciative, but perplexed.
"I feel like any other player would have done that," All said. "That's routine stuff."
Maybe not quite like All did as he made a running dive into the pile, where, he says, Steelers defensive end Sebastian Joseph-Day was reclined on it.
"He didn't have his hands on it," All said. "When he went to roll over on his side to grab the ball from his stomach, that's when I grabbed it, and then he tried to grab it from me. That's how we ended up tangling with it. I felt like it was a premature call, to be honest. No one had it.
"I know for a fact I got it. Not many could see exactly what I saw, so part of me just wants to forget it and not sit here and dwell on it … That's cool that they recognize stuff like that. It's cool stuff to think about, but we didn't get the ball, so it doesn't mean much."
Joe Podium
After practice, Burrow had his weekly media meet-up.
A sampling:
On bringing back wide receiver Mitch Tinsley: "I thought it was pretty much a no-brainer … He was here for … a year and a half or so, so he knows the offense. He knows what we're trying to do. He'll have his packages that he'll be in for that he'll be dialed in on, and he's a hardworking and a smart guy … that (trust has) been tried and true."
On pulling games out on last drives: "I feel like I'm pretty good in those moments. I'm really confident in myself in those moments, and typically, we're going to try to get it done … There's no place I'd rather be. I want it in my hands when you put the game on the line. I trust myself in those spots. I trust our guys in those spots. We feel confident that we're going to get it done."
The numbers agree. Long-time Bengals chronicler and current Bengals Locked-On Podcast host Jake Liscow reported this week that since 2021, Burrow holds the NFL's fourth-best dropback EPA/play when trailing with less than eight minutes in regulation. Only Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, and Lamar Jackson are better. His passer rating of 107.7 is first to go along with 11 game-winning dives, two of them in the playoffs.
On the run game: "We've been running it well. We could be a lot better. We've been efficient, not explosive. We need to try some things to try to find those explosive plays, just like we do in the pass game. We've been efficient but not explosive. We've got to continue to get better in that."
The Bengals are 27th in yards rushing per game and 26th in attempts, but 18th with four yards per carry.
Slants and Screens
This is the most banged up they've been in a while … Right guard Dalton Risner, who injured his knee in Houston, played hurt in Pittsburgh, and didn't miss a snap, didn't practice Wednesday …
Neither did defensive tackle B.J. Hill (Achilles), who has missed the last two games …
Also out was rookie wide receiver Colbie Young (knee), already sidelined for Sunday …
The Bengals added two safeties to their practice squad with starters Bryan Cook (ankle) and Jordan Battle (hamstring) limited, and backup Kyle Dugger (quad) not practicing. Golden said the other backup, P.J. Jules, and practice-squadder Russ Yeast are ready to go, but he sounded encouraged with Battle and Cook going through the morning walkthrough …
The Jalen Davis injury has also forced cornerback DJ Ivey into the starting lineup after taking 17 snaps this year. But Ivey, in his fourth season, has a lot of confidence from his coaches and his teammates. Burks thinks he could start for a lot of other teams, Golden loves the athleticism and versatility he shows on special teams, and Dax Hill likes his aggressiveness and experience matching up against tight ends …
Ivey, a seventh-rounder, may end up drawing a first-rounder in Brian Thomas Jr., but Ivey doesn't bat an eye because he believes he had "a great camp," and had another summer going toe-to-toe with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
"Going against the two best wide receivers in the NFL every day," Ivey said, "that makes game day fun. And easier." …
Golden indicated that edge Shemar Stewart would play against the Jags after not playing a snap in Pittsburgh. But he also emphasized they want to make sure he's completely back from the knee injury that wiped out his training camp. Golden recalled how Stewart jumped all over a screen against these Jags last year in week two: "As good as anything you'll see." …
"When he's ready, you feel it. He goes … I think he'll scream with his body, mind and action when he's ready to go." …
