Bengals GM puts pressure on coaching staff to maximize former first-round pick

One way or another, the Cincinnati Bengals have to get better play out of safety Dax Hill next season.

While Cincinnati's first-round pick from 2022 produced some flashes of excitement, Hill had more moments of concern during his first year of real playing time. His inconsistency became more troubling with former Bengals free safety Jessie Bates III, the player Hill replaced, having a career year with the Atlanta Falcons.

Director of player personnel Duke Tobin hasn't lost faith in the player he knows Hill to be, but he also has a belief on how the 23-year old defensive back can reach his potential.

In speaking with Bengals media members at the Senior Bowl, Tobin touched on how the team can help Hill by not asking him to wear multiple hats in the defense.

"I think he's a guy that can play multiple roles, but I don't think we want to make him a jack of all and master of none," Tobin said. "We have to decide from a coaching standpoint what exactly we want out of him and make him a great player at that position."

Translation: It's up to the coaches to keep him at one position.

Hill came into the NFL primarily as a slot defender from his time at Michigan. He had repped safety as a top recruit at that position, but it had been a few years since he excelled there prior to joining the Bengals. 

Once it became clear the team needed to replace Bates, Hill was the logical replacement, but the plan was also fluid. Nick Scott was brought in to help out and play deep, which would've allowed Hill to stay close to the line of scrimmage where he was more comfortable. 

It was a fine plan in theory before Scott became exposed as a weakness, and Hill was moved around during the season to compensate for this issue. He ended up taking 605 snaps at free safety, 266 snaps in the box, 187 in the slot, and 31 at cornerback, per Pro Football Focus.

Versatility was a major positive on Hill's scouting report, but doing too much on the fly was clearly more than the second-year player and first-year starter could handle right out the gate.

If Tobin's message is received well by defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and his assistants, one of two things will happen with Hill. He'll either be entrenched in the back-half of the secondary at safety alongside Jordan Battle, or they'll commit to keeping him around the line of scrimmage and find another deep safety to pair with Battle. 

It's too early in the offseason to predict which plan will be executed, but Tobin has put pressure on Anarumo and Co. to get the most out of Hill in 2024.