'I'm Out there Competing' - Dax Hill Details Week 1 Readiness, Deflects Contract Talks Ahead of 2026 Season

Dax Hill fielded a bunch of questions at his locker on Wednesday following a hot afternoon practice for the Bengals.

One of Cincinnati's top cornerbacks is "feeling good" and seems like he will suit up for next Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

Healthier Hill

Aug 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dax Hill (23) stands on the field during warmups before the game against the Chicago Bears at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He dove into his health after dealing with a soft-tissue injury for roughly a month and most of training camp.

"If I didn't feel my best, I wasn't gonna put myself at risk of being a liability out there. So just being smart," Hill said before expanding more on his potential Week 1 role. "Whatever the coaches want me to do. Us as competitors, we're gonna be out there regardless. Whether you're 100 or, you know, 75 (%). I have that competitive nature in me, and whatever they have planned for me we'll see. But I'm optimistic for Game 1."

Hill and his cornerback running mate, DJ Turner II, are both in line for new contracts in their NFL careers, but it's been very quiet on both fronts.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted on Wednesday that Cincinnati likely won't get anything done with Turner, while it doesn't seem like anything is close with Hill. He didn't want to discuss the topic.

"I don't want to really talk about that, but hey, I'm out there competing," Hill said.

It may be a pick-your-poison decision between the two talents for Cincinnati, with the 2026 season playing a potential huge role in who ends up getting extended with the team. They also have a looming Amarius Mims extension coming up if he keeps ascending, and Dexter Lawrence will be heavily underpaid if he meets expectations in 2026.

All in all, Hill is focused on carrying over the momentum he helped create on defense last season.

"I feel like we haven't really lost our edge from last year," Hill noted. "I feel like we ended up on a high note, and it just brought the new guys along, and I feel like we've just been at a high level. Not really taking a day off; if we have, it was probably just a day. We regrouped the next day and came back and showed out. So I feel like the entire camp leading up to this first game has been great from top down."

Cincinnati is a little over a week away from rolling into Game 1.

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