Zac Taylor made the Bengals’ plan for Dax Hill crystal clear at the annual media day luncheon: Hill is staying on the outside.
“Outside is absolutely where we want him to play. Outside is absolutely where he will play,” Taylor said.
That settles the biggest piece of the secondary puzzle heading into training camp. Hill shifted into a full-time boundary corner role in 2024, and while an injury cut into what looked like a promising move for the former first-round pick, he returned from the knee issue with a vengeance. By the midpoint of last season, he had locked down his spot on the boundary.
Now Hill heads into a contract year in Cincinnati, with a big payday on the line if he can keep building at cornerback.
That leaves the slot corner battle as one of the more interesting competitions on the roster. The Bengals added Ja'Sir Taylor this offseason to challenge Jalen Davis, who spent part of last season performing well in that role.
Davis will have to prove that what he showed last year can hold up over a full workload. Through seven weeks, he posted a 65.5 grade on Pro Football Focus from the slot corner spot, and his leadership stood out on the field given his age and experience. That could matter in camp in both directions, helping his case while also raising the standard he has to meet.
At 30, Davis needs to show last season wasn’t the ceiling. Taylor, meanwhile, is 27 and still has room to grow despite some inconsistency.
Ja'Sir Taylor didn’t do much with the New York Jets last season, but he flashed several times with the Chargers as both a special-teams contributor and a defender. That special-teams background should also catch the eye of coordinator Darrin Simmons, which could help him throughout camp.
Bralyn Lux is still in the mix too. At 25, he has youth on his side, and he turned in solid work in the slot during spring, enough to firmly plant himself in the competition.
So while Hill’s spot on the outside is settled, the Bengals still have a real fight brewing inside. Davis, Taylor and Lux are all trying to turn a camp battle into a full-time starting job on a defense that’s looking to improve.
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For Cincinnati, the timing is notable because the front office already addressed the position this offseason by adding Dexter Lawrence II, a move that gave the defense a bigger, more disruptive presence in the middle. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has spoken highly of Lawrences ability to win one-on-one matchups and hold his ground, which makes the Bengals feel set at the spot even as one of their first opponents deals with uncertainty there. [Read more 🡒]
Zac Taylor Just Sent A Different Message About Bengals Expectations
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What makes this worth watching is how that pressure may be shaping the way he leads. Taylor has suggested it is pushing him to be more demanding and more accountable with his coaching staff, a subtle but meaningful change for a team that has not yet played a regular-season or preseason game. The Bengals still have to show it on the field, but the tone around the building already sounds a little different. [Read more 🡒]