What's certain is Dax Hill is back from an injury that limited him during training camp, and he'll contribute Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. How much he contributes on Sept. 13 at Paycor Stadium against the Buccaneers remains to be seen.
Following the Bengals Sept. 2 practice, Hill said he had been dealing with soft-tissue issues, which partly derailed his training camp. The Sept. 2 practice marked Hill's third day of returning to action, and he said he participated in team periods that day.
"I feel good being out there for a third day now, so feel good," Hill said. "Getting my wind back... I'm just gonna see how this week goes, and next week. Just gauge it from there. I feel good, so."
How good Hill feels, and what that means for his
playing time, is a question that could loom in the minds of Bengals fans ahead of the opener against Tampa Bay.
Head coach Zac Taylor didn't rule out the possibility of a rotating Hill in and out at his boundary corner spot in the contest if needed while also indicating the time for finalizing that decision hadn't arrived.
"We’ll see where he’s at. I’m not there yet with that," Taylor said. "I’m excited to get him back in the fold this week. He’s got a lot of experience playing. It’s not like it is a guy that hasn’t played much and 'what are we going to get out of him?' I’ve got a lot of confidence in what we are going to see out of Dax. I won’t go that far yet."
Likely because he wanted to continue to gauge his health as the Buccaneers games gets closer, Hill was noncommittal about the possibility of needing rotation help, except to indicate he wouldn't fight the coaching staff on that decision.
"Whatever the coaches want me to do. Us as competitors, we want to be out there regardless, you know, whether if you're 100% or 75%, so I have that competitive nature in me, so whatever they have planned for me, we'll see. I'm optimistic."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Back in Bengals practice, Dax Hill is optimistic about role in opener
