The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t seemed like a team in a hurry to get veteran cornerback Mike Hilton back in free agency.
But at this stage of the open market, Hilton has suddenly become one of the best overall available players.
In fact, based on updated free-agent rankings from ESPN’s Matt Bowen, Hilton is the fifth-best player out there:
“A slot corner who plays with a sense of urgency, Hilton had 12 tackles for loss and eight pressures last season. He has a natural feel for playing in space as a coverage defender with the aggressive mentality to tackle and blitz on the edges. In eight seasons, Hilton has 13 interceptions, 11.5 sacks and 34 pass breakups.”
Hilton appeared to say farewell to the Bengals and fans before free agency even started, which made sense given the team’s desire for a youth movement on that side of the ball under new coordinator Al Golden.
Hilton has since been projected to join the Tennessee Titans and Brian Callahan.
At this point, though, one has to wonder if the Bengals might not warm up to the idea of bringing Hilton back. It sounds like Dax Hill will get many of the inside corner snaps next season, but uncertainty around the boundary starters and overall depth in the secondary remain valid.
There’s also something to be said for the obvious leadership element the former team captain would bring back to the locker room, too, so it’s something to watch.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
