CINCINNATI – There were two, possibly three Cincinnati Bengals starters who did not participate in any practices this offseason.
Defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart chose not to as a protest against the front office and contract negotiations, with the rookie first-round pick leaving early and the veteran never showing up.
Cornerback Dax Hill wanted nothing more than to be on the field with his teammates but wasn’t allowed.
He is optimistic that will no longer the case the next time the Bengals practice, by which time he expects to be fully cleared.
“I'm hopeful in the next couple of weeks,” he said after Thursday’s final practice of mandatory minicamp. “This break is five weeks, so probably right before, hopefully.
“I've been preparing myself to be cleared and trying to show them that I can actually be cleared.”
But in talking with other players who have gone through ACL rehab, he knows full clearance doesn’t mean full participation.
He saw it firsthand with a teammate at his position group in Chidobe Awuzie in 2023, where even after he made his training camp debut, the Bengals coaching and medical staff took it slow before fully integrating him into practice.
“I know it’s going to be a gradual ramp up,” Hill said. “I’m not going to be expecting a whole lot (on the first day of camp). But yeah, I’m wanting to be out there for Day 1.”
Hill tore the ACL in Week 5 against Baltimore. That was Oct. 6, which means he’s a little more than eight months beyond the injury.
He has been working on the side rehab field early in OTA and minicamp practices before joining the cornerbacks to watch position drills and install to help get up to speed with new defensive coordinator Al Golden’s scheme.
Hill said he feels he has a good grasp on it, but as to where exactly he fits, that’s less clear.
“I’m not sure,” he said when asked if he expects to be a starting outside corner, the position he played for the first time with the Bengals last season.
“We’ll see. I’m not sure what I’ll come back to. It’s up in the air.”
Some believe Hill’s best position is in the slot, and with the team not resigning veteran Mike Hilton, there is vacancy there.
Starting DJ Turner II and Cam Taylor-Britt on the outside and Hill in the slot could be the plan for Week 1 in Cleveland.
If it is, Hill – nor anybody else – is saying so.
