The Cincinnati Bengals’ depth chart is full of temporary moving pieces. Safety has been in flux over the last two weeks with Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger banged up, and there’s uncertainty at receiver with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins missing practice on Wednesday.
There have also been changes brewing at cornerback. These have a shot to be more permanent.
After slot cornerback Jalen Davis went on IR last week with a hamstring injury that will keep him out for at least a month, the Bengals shook up their plan at cornerback outside of DJ Turner. Dax Hill moved from outside corner to the slot in Week 4. At the other outside cornerback spot, DJ Ivey platooned with Tacario Davis as Ivey mostly played the position on early downs (Ivey went to his normal tight end stopper role on third downs) and Davis entered the game on third downs and in passing situations at outside corner.
When Jalen Davis (who was already struggling) went down with a hamstring injury, the Bengals had a few options. While backup slot corner Ja’Sir Taylor is also on IR, they could have gone with Bralyn Lux or Josh Newton in the slot. Instead, they asked Hill to move positions for the fourth time in his five-year NFL career.
“I’m built for it at this point,” Hill said. “I fall back on what I know and don’t have an attitude about it. You go into it with a positive mindset. Being negative won’t help at all. I’ll make sure I’m doing my responsibilites at a high level.”
Hill moved to safety after the NFL Draft, moved to outside corner in 2024, opened the 2025 season in the slot, moved out wide last November and now is back in the slot.
When Jalen Davis got hurt, Hill wasn’t sure what the decision was going to be.
“I knew possibly I’d be thrown into that position,” Hill said. “We brought in guys as well. I didn’t know if it would actually come to fruition or not. I’m happened. I’m happy to do it.”
Hill said that cornerbacks coach Charles Burks told him: We trust you. We know what you can do. We need you.
Hill still plays outside corner in the Bengals’ base defense (4-3 or 5-2 looks where just two cornerbacks are on the field). Now, after barely practicing in the slot during the summer, that position is his main focus.
“If anyone could go and gripe, it’s Dax,” Burks said. “He has never griped. It’s up to us as coaches to sit back, think about what he does best and put him in positions to do that.”
Burks called Hill an impact player who can change the game at nickel. Hill gives the Bengals a much different blitzing presence at that position. He fixes what had been an issue earlier in the season — the fact that the Bengals kept getting beat by slot fades. He’ll help their zone coverage over the middle of the field against tight ends, which has also been a problem area. Hill lined up plenty last Sunday against Jaguars slot receiver Parker Washington, a standout slot receiver who had a near-silent game.
The Bengals especially value Hill’s tackling ability out of the slot, and that will have a chance to really shine over the course of the season. Against the Jaguars, he forced a fumble with a loud hit on a play that could have changed the game, but Jacksonville alterly swatted the ball out of bounds to keep possession.
Overall, Hill’s shift back to the slot has gone very smoothly.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Burks said. “It’s Dax Hill. He’s a baller.”
Hill’s versatility was one of two changes to the cornerback depth chart last Sunday. Before Week 4, Tacario Davis looked like he had been securely ahead of Ivey on the cornerback depth chart. Then on Sunday, Ivey jumped ahead of Davis, made the start and out-snapped Davis 39-9.
“I was proud of DJ,” Al Golden said. “This guy, he’s consistent. He comes to work every day. I think he competed really, really well. He rose to the challenge.”
Like Hill, Ivey nearly changed the game by forcing a turnover. Ivey made a terrific play to get in position for an interception in the end zone in the second quarter. He wasn’t able to reel in the catch, but it was still a winning rep. On the day, he allowed one catch for 16 yards.
“I wasn’t really surprised by the way he played,” Burks said. “I’m extremely confident in him. He has the traits. He’s a smart player. He gets himself in position. He can play the ball. I’m really pleased with where he’s at right now.”
Having Ivey play the early down reps at outside corner was influenced by his tackling ability. Tacario Davis showed some struggles as a tackler in Week 3 against the Steelers. Ivey did end up missing a critical tackle attempt on a game-changing explosive touchdown run by the Jaguars in the fourth quarter, but on defense and special teams over the last two years he has built up a reputation as a solid tackler.
When the Bengals were in their nickel defense on Sunday on first and second downs, it was almost always Turner, Hill and Ivey on the field. On third downs, when the Bengals went into their dime defense (six defensive backs), Ivey defended the tight end and Davis entered the game at outside cornerback.
While Tacario Davis only played nine snaps on Sunday against the Jaguars, they were important reps. Six of those nine snaps were third down plays where Davis matched up against an outside receiver (and two of them were second-and-long situations that the Bengals played like they were third downs). On those nine snaps, Davis wasn’t targeted.
“Big time growth out of Tacario,” Burks said. “Big time growth. I’m really excited about where he’s going.”
Burks points out a third down play where Treyor Lawrence took a shot down the sideline against Turner. The quarterback didn’t look Davis’ way on the play, but based on the look Davis played like he was expecting the ball. The tape shows Davis in man coverage against $20 million receiver Jakobi Meyers with really good leverage, running the route for him, turning back for the ball and being in perfect position for what would have been an interception had Lawrence thrown this way.
“That’s what you want to see from a rookie,” Burks said.
Over the first three weeks, penalties were an issue for Davis. He was getting a bit ahead of his skis, and he was going through some growing pains.
Turner and Hill went through the same process when they were rookies.
“They were telling me to not otherthink it,” Davis said. “Don’t think everything will be pitch perfect Day 1. It takes days. You have to crawl before you walk.”
Burks said, “(Davis’) teammates have done a phenomenal job with him. It’s funny when they hear me talk to him in meetings. They’re giggling because they remember that in their rookie years. They always remind him that he’s doing a good job. He’s a guy that I have really high standards for. Just know that he has a chance.”While Davis may not technically be in a starting role on the depth chart, he’s in a role that typically ends up on the field in a two-minute situation when you need a stop late in the game, or on a third down that could decide the matchup. Despite Davis’ inconsistencies over the first three weeks, the Bengals are giving him a shot to grow.
“His ball skills are really good,” Burks said. “Right now, he’s learning how to play with his length. He’s learning how to use his superpowers. It’s my challenge to get him confident in using his length and consistently try to put him in position to use his ball skills.”
There’s a long list of rookies in the Zac Taylor era who played a smaller role in September and October and then really saw their snaps take off in November and December. Some (Tee Higgins, Cam Taylor-Britt, DJ Turner, Chase Brown) worked out much better than others (2025 Barrett Carter, Zach Carter, Josh Newton).
Right now, with Jalen Davis and Ja’Sir Taylor on IR and Hill in the slot, Tacario Davis has a shot to show whether or not he’s ready for an expanded role at outside corner. Recent Bengals’ history suggests that he’ll get it if he plays well.
Against the Jaguars, there were a lot of moving pieces in the secondary as Hill moved to the slot, Ivey and Davis had their respective roles and as PJ Jules and Russ Yeast split time at safety. Things should settle in as the Bengals get healthier and as those players gain more experience. On the whole, in a game where the defense allowed 22 points (three of which scored off of a turnover) against a very good Jaguars’ offense, the secondary did its part.
“Those guys really gave us an opportunity to win the game at the end of the day,” Golden said. “I was really proud of that. Keep moving forward. Keep learning. Fix the corrections we got to make and get ready for the next test.”
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