The Cincinnati Bengals may have created a new secondary question when they selected Washington cornerback Tacario Davis with the 72nd overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
But the answer should not involve moving Dax Hill again.
Davis, a 6-foot-4 corner who began his college career at Arizona before finishing at Washington, gives Cincinnati rare size and length on the outside. Naturally, that has led to speculation about how the Bengals will arrange their cornerback room, and whether
Hill could slide back inside to the slot.
That would be a mistake.
Hill has already moved around enough since entering the league. The former first-round pick and Michigan alum was drafted as a safety, shifted through multiple roles, and only seemed to truly settle in once the Bengals moved him to outside corner in Week 11 of last year after an injury to Cam Taylor-Britt.
From that point forward, he was not just serviceable. He was one of the better corners in football.
According to Pro Football Focus (via TFG Football), Hill allowed only 15 receptions on 30 targets after the move, a 50% completion rate that ranked ninth among 61 qualifying cornerbacks. He gave up just 22.6 yards per game, recorded six pass breakups, allowed zero touchdowns, and earned PFF’s 10th-best cornerback grade during that stretch. He also missed just two tackles, posting a 6.3% missed-tackle rate that ranked 11th among qualifying corners.
That is not a player you move again just to make the depth chart look cleaner.
“I want to be outside,” Hill said during offseason workouts. “I feel like staying at one spot is ideal for development – and my mental health.”
The Bengals drafted Davis because they needed more talent, length, and competition in the secondary. They did not draft him because Hill failed outside. In fact, Hill’s late-season performance is one of the biggest reasons Cincinnati should feel better about the position going forward.
Davis may eventually become a starter. He may push for early playing time. He may give the Bengals the kind of big-bodied boundary corner they have lacked. But Hill has earned the right to stay where he finally looked comfortable.
For Cincinnati, the best plan is the simplest: let Davis compete, let the secondary sort itself out, and stop treating Hill like a movable piece.
The Bengals spent years searching for Dax Hill’s best position. They finally found it. Now they need to be smart enough not to take it away.
