Bengals Beat: BJ Hill Can’t Wait To Line Up Next To TJ Slaton, Says Trey Hendrickson Wants To Stay

CINCINNATI — BJ Hill knew he didn’t want to go anywhere.

That’s why signing his second three-year deal for $33 million and $16 million guaranteed with the Bengals was a no-brainer for the veteran defensive tackle who turns 30 next month.

But it’s more than just the money that appealed to Hill, acquired in the trade with the New York Giants for Billy Price before the 2021 season.

“I’m so excited to be back,” Hill said. “This is my goal, man. I always want to be in Cincinnati. I want to be back in Cincinnati. Great coaches, great players, really just be back in the building. I had my options, but at the end of the day, I knew I wanted to be here. Just talking to Coach Al (Golden), Coach Zac (Taylor), I just knew where I wanted to be at the end of day. Me and my family, we love Cincinnati so much like no matter what we wanted to be there. That was our main priority, to be back in Cincinnati.”

Hill said he knew he could explore free agency but thought what he had in Cincinnati was too good of a thing to move on from. And Hill still believes he can be part of a Super Bowl run in Cincinnati. What leads him to be so optimistic after back-to-back 9-8 finishes?

“The last couple weeks of the season, where we stepped up, did our part. That was all I needed to see,” Hill said. “And I know what kind of guys we have in the building. I know I know what they bring each and every day. All we do want to win, and that’s what I know everybody wants to do.”

Hill anchored a defense in the last month that found its footing and played its most consistent football of the season. During the five-game winning streak, the Bengals had big defensive moments, like stopping Dallas on the final drive of the game to hold on for a 27-20 win. There was protecting the 19-17 lead in Pittsburgh by holding Russell Wilson and the Steelers offense out of field goal range to end the game.

But perhaps the best indicator that the Bengals defense, without Dax Hill, DJ Turner, Sheldon Rankins, Cam Sample and Sam Hubbard, had stabilized was its biggest stop of the season. After Cade York missed a chip-shot field goal of 39 yards against the Broncos in overtime, the Bengals could not allow Denver a first down or the Broncos could have run out the clock in the penultimate game of the season and clinched a playoff berth with a tie. The Bengals held three-and-out.

Instead, the Bengals got the ball back and Joe Burrow did his magic and found Tee Higgins twice to walk away with a 30-24 win.

Hill believes that the Bengals defense found its mojo at the end of the season and now there are signs that it could be better in 2025. The signing of true 2-gap nose tackle TJ Slaton and the hopeful return of Trey Hendrickson, along with the returns of Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample on one-year deals, leads Hill to think staying put with an elite quarterback on the other side of the ball was the smart move.

Having good friend and teammate Trey Hendrickson in his ear didn’t hurt either.

“Trey is my guy, man,” Hill said. “He helped me the last couple of weeks just think about things, thinking about how to go through this process over again. (He) gave me advice. Even though I’ve been through it, but he really just helped me a lot. He means the world to me, pretty much, one of my brothers, and I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”

Hendrickson’s best piece of advice?

“Just go into your heart, man, to be honest. You know where you want to be at. You know what you want to do and just Cincinnati or not, just go with your heart man and pray about it,” Hill said.

Hill believes Hendrickson definitely wants to return to the Bengals for the long-term.

“I think Trey, he wants to be in Cincinnati. I know that for a fact,” Hill said. “He loves Cincinnati. He loves the fans. He loves it just he loves community. He loves the team, coaches, everybody. Man, he wants to be here at the end of the day.”

As for the retiring Sam Hubbard, that was a bit of a shock to the system for Hill and many others on the D-line.

“That one hurt. That’s my guy, man. Playing with somebody for four years. That hurt a little bit. I’m saying losing a brother, but I know he’s got a big future ahead of him outside of football. I’m excited for him, but it sucks losing him. But I’m happy for him at the same time.”

One thing is for sure, Hill, listed at 6-3, 311 pounds, won’t be the biggest man on the defensive line. That will be TJ Slaton, the massive 6-4, 331-pound nose tackle signed by the Bengals to provide more beef in the middle of the line and help with the run-stopping chores.

“Heard a number great things,” Hill told me. “But first, a hard worker. Big guy, excited about that, too. He can move. He’s athletic, but heard nothing but great things. He loves to be coached, so that’s important to me. He’s a great locker room guy too, as well. So I’m excited to have him in the building.”

Perhaps more than anything, Hill knows that Slaton will help the Bengals in their mission to return to a more physical style of play that was prevalent in the 2021 and ’22 teams that were much more effective in stopping the run.

“To be physical. I know for a fact, just watching him play in Green Bay, man, he’s physical, big guy,” Hill said. “We play in a tough division that loves to run the ball. I think we got a really good one on our hands. And, TJ, man, like I said, watching film, and how he stopped the run, how he plays the run, how he uses hands, how he comes off the blocks and make plays. I’m excited, really to have him.”

NOTES:
Bengals fans are still wondering why the wait on the guard market and why the team isn’t interested in some of the guards available on the free agent market or they haven’t made a move to acquire another edge rusher as insurance for the uncertainty around Trey Hendrickson.

It could very well be that the Bengals are confident in the young talent they have in the building in Jaxson Kirkland, Cordell Volson and Matt Lee and the veterans in Cody Ford and Andrew Stueber. It could be that Ford will just step in to take Cappa’s place and Kirkland will battle Volson for the left guard role. But signing a top five free agent guard would seem to make sense to help center Ted Karras protect Joe Burrow.

Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Bengals are not interested in Mekhi Becton, who just helped the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl with his play at right guard. The Bengals are reportedly one of three teams in on Teven Jenkins, formerly of the Chicago Bears. Former Washington and Jacksonville guard Brandon Scherff is also available. The Bengals could get aggressive like they were in 2022 with Ted Karras and Alex Cappa but then again, the Bengals have never been a franchise to set a market but rather react. That’s their comfort zone. It’s playing out again.

As noted above, the Bengals have brought back two still-young edge rushers in Cam Sample and Joseph Ossai, both of whom came on the scene in 2021 with the Bengals. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network was the first to report on Sample, who is coming off a ruptured Achilles while Ossai was entering his first taste of free agency and decided, through agent David Mulugheta of Athletes First, to sign a one-year, $7 million deal to give him a chance to prove his worth.

Bengals free agency tracker:

Bengals adds:
NT TJ Slaton
RB Samaje Perine
LB Oren Burks

Bengals returns:
TE Mike Gesicki
ED Joseph Ossai
ED Cam Sample
DT BJ Hill
OL Cody Ford
TE Tanner Hudson
DB Marco Wilson

Bengals losses:
RG Alex Cappa (Raiders)
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (Cardinals)
ED Sam Hubbard (retired)
DT Sheldon Rankins (Texans)
RB Khalil Herbert (Colts)