Bengals praise Dax Hill’s emergence as he steps into starting role

The play of Cincinnati Bengals safety Dax Hill was one of the silver linings we pointed out coming out of the team’s loss to the Cleveland Browns in the opener.

Given Hill’s solid play in his first action since fully taking over for Jessie Bates, he was a hot topic as the Bengals started prep for Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, for example, specifically brought up Hill and his work on tight ends while mentioning the defense’s limiting the Browns to a 4-of-14 mark on third downs, according to CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia.

Anarumo also pointed out some of the general highs and lows of his unit in the opener:

Some context on the 206 rushing yards allowed by Bengals Sunday from DC Lou Anarumo: pic.twitter.com/xkFDKeyKLu

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 13, 2023

That Hill is already getting singled out for praise is nothing but a good sign for a player who had previously shined in two consecutive preseasons but hadn’t seen meaningful snaps during the regular season.

Even better for Anarumo, Hill’s pairing with free-agent arrival Nick Scott seems like it’s off to a good start, which was one of the biggest question marks for the team overall entering the season.