Major Outlet Names Dax Hill as Bengals 2023 X Factor

CINCINNATI — New Bengals starting safety Dax Hill is entering his second year with the team, one where he's arguably the Bengals X-factor.

The Ringer's Benjamin Solak laid out the case this week.

"Last season, Hill took the third-most snaps at safety for the Bengals with a whopping 151," Solak wrote. "Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, the long-established starters in Cincinnati, did not miss a game—the only game in which Hill saw significant snaps, in Week 15, he did as a replacement for Mike Hilton, the nickel corner."

"Both Bell and Bates left in free agency in the offseason, leaving a whopping 2,438 snaps for the Bengals to fill at the position. Hill will step into those shoes with sky-high expectations—the Bengals secondary asks a lot from its safeties, and at every other position, there is enough returning talent that stability should be expected. If Cincinnati’s defense has a weak link this season, it will almost certainly be at safety—unless Hill steps up to the plate in a big way."

Hill earned a 58.1 PFF grade in 2022 and performed very well in the preseason (80.9 grade across two games). He'll take on a much heavier snap diet this coming season.

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