There are still a few teams remaining in the playoffs, but for those teams that are already eliminated, it's not too early to look ahead to the 2025 season. When it comes to potential breakout candidates, the Cincinnati Bengals have a couple of options,
Pro Football Focus recently listed an early breakout candidate for every team in the league, and cornerback Dax Hill was the selection for Cincinnati. Hill made the switch to cornerback last year after spending his first two seasons at safety, but he was limited to just five games on the season due to a torn ACL.
Pro Football Focus has high hopes for Dax Hill in 2025
Hill showed some real promise at his new position in those five games, though, so it's easy to understand what he would be picked as an early breakout candidate. Here's the provided rationale:
"Cincinnati will likely try to upgrade its secondary this offseason, particularly at safety. But one in-house name to keep an eye on is Hill. He played better in his first full season at cornerback, registering a career-high 68.0 PFF coverage grade with only 95 yards allowed on 140 coverage snaps. The former first-round pick will have plenty to play for in what could be a contract year, and a new defensive coordinator could also help."
Hill is entering his fourth season in the league, and for him, health will be the biggest X-factor coming off of that season-ending knee injury. As long as he's healthy, he should get plenty of opportunity, as the Bengals are pretty thin at cornerback.
As PFF mentioned, Hill should be properly motivated, as he's headed in a potential contract year in 2025. He has a fifth-year option on his contract for the 2026 season, and the Bengals will have to decide whether or not to pick up that option in the near future. If they don't, Hill will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Even if they do pick up the option, Hill will still want to prove that he can be a long-term answer in the secondary for Cincinnati and set himself up for an extended deal in the future. There are other options when it comes to breakout candidates for the Bengals, but Hill is absolutely a player to keep an eye on.
