CINCINNATI — The Bengals’ locker room is one big construction zone.
The organization that received failing marks from the NFL Players Association is overhauling the players’ sanctuary inside Paycor Stadium.
When it’s done, players will have new carpeting, lockers and ceiling fixtures to go with numerous improvements to the amenities that matter to those who call it an office workplace for eight months.
As for the roster, it is also a work-in-progress. The free agent work has been essentially completed. But now, the team must add the right pieces through the draft next Thursday.
The players already on the Bengals roster are getting to know each other as Phase 1 of the offseason workout program began Monday.
Sticking with the construction metaphor, there are two rooms in particular that will require serious remediation.
How will the Bengals handle the makeover of the secondary and running back rooms?
It didn’t always go well, and Hill admitted as much on Monday.
“There’s always some things to correct but I kind of just had some reflection, made sure that I’m a different person whenever I came in,” Hill said. “So I feel like there’s some things I need to correct and I’m looking forward to the new year.”
The pressure is theoretically going to be lessened this year on Hill, with the likes Geno Stone and Vonn Bell being brought in or – in Bell’s case – being brought back to stabilize the back end of Lou Anarumo’s defense.
“I mean, it’s always good to have a you know, older guy in the locker room to help us out,” Hill said of Bell’s return. “So, familiar faces, guys that have been there for a while now. It’s always good to add those guys.”
“I’m glad last year happened.” Dax Hill Monday looked back on 2023 season, his growth and internal reflection heading into offseason workouts pic.twitter.com/XGzBrJIPvU
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) April 15, 2024
Hill confirmed Monday that the Bengals let him know what they were doing to reinforce the safety room with the free agent signings of Stone and Bell, likely moving Hill to a hybrid role, much like the one he played in his rookie year of 2022.
Zac Taylor wasn’t going to commit to exactly what Hill’s role will be but acknowledged that the team has kept in close communication with Hill.
“We’ve have a pretty good idea in our minds and we’ll let the offseason play out with that before we get into it here, but feel comfortable with our communication with Dax and where that all stands.”
Hill is trying to take a philosophical approach to what his role will be.
“Whatever is in place, I really just have to be ready for that,” Hill said. “So I’m not really stressing out about what’s to come. I’ve been through so much in first two years so I mean there’s nothing that I’m not used to.”
It’s not to say he didn’t have bright moments – like against San Francisco and Buffalo in back-to-back weeks – that gave him hope for learning the free safety position.
“Really, just stepping into a role where a lot of people thought, ‘I don’t know. We’ll see how things play out.’ With the guys that we had, I had (some) reflection,” Hill said. “I feel like there were some good things and some things I need to correct. So, I’m glad last year happened.”
Since he was drafted out of Michigan in 2022, Hill has always been thought of as the Swiss army knife of the Bengals defense, someone who can serve multiple roles and play them well.
“I mean, I feel like that’s what God gave me and I’m gonna just do that the best I can,” Hill said.
Stone is likely going to be asked to play a roving role in Cincinnati, much in the same fashion he played in Baltimore where he was a ball-hawking safety that picked off seven passes in 2023. Stone has had a long relationship with Vonn Bell.
Geno Stone already in the playbook working getting familiar with Lou Anarumo’s playbook pic.twitter.com/XIzUxbqoN4
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) April 15, 2024
“That’s the main thing, everyone in here learn each other and everyone helps each other grow,” Stone told me. “I’m happy Vonn’s here too because I knew Vonn for a long, long time, and to have him back here and a guy that knows the playbook everything like that. Those guys can help me a lot, too.”
The veteran safety was brought back for not only his veteran leadership but his knowledge of Lou Anarumo’s playbook and more importantly, how Anarumo wants his defense communicated on the field. Bell should help in getting players in the right places at the right times.
“I just want to be me every day,” Bell said. “And so the way I’m just being invested in the guys and being the best to the locker room and give my input and my knowledge.”
“I just want to be me every day and show up to work.” Vonn Bell on the impact he can have in return to Bengals pic.twitter.com/HQUtFZUMJg
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) April 15, 2024
Bell knows already he’s been brought in as a stabilizing force for not only Dax Hill but the likes of Jordan Battle, Tycen Anderson and Stone, all of whom are still learning the ins and outs of Anarumo’s defense.
“Oh, for sure. (But) I’m going to approach today, be grateful for the opportunity and just come in and go to work every day. And then take one day at a time.”
Does he still plan to get into work at 5 a.m.?
“For sure,” Bell smiled.
The second-year back is thrilled to be part of the off-season program. At this time last year, he was waiting to see which team would draft him. Now, he knows that Joe Mixon has been dealt away to Houston and there will be a bigger load on his shoulders. With that in mind, he’s put on about 10 pounds of muscle on his upper body, with the hope of taking more hits on more reps.
“I just want to become more fluid work on my hands or have my password traction, just being better all round player coming back,” Brown said. “And I feel confident I can accomplish that over the offseason.
“At this point, it’s just really getting my feet back in the building, getting to know some of the new faces around the locker room and just reconnecting with the guys because I feel like I haven’t seen them in forever. So it’s nice to be back here.”
As for Mixon departing for Houston?
“He’s done so much for this team, the city, the fan base,” Brown said. “We’re gonna miss him. I gave him a call just to see how he was doing what his mindset was. He’s definitely in a good place. (Houston) is going to be a great city for him. He’s going to kill it out there.”
With Mixon gone, that means that Brown leads the running back room with newcomer Zack Moss and returnees Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams.
“I’m excited for (Mixon) in that sense, but it also opens up a lot of opportunity over here and I’m excited to get back to work with Chris and Trey and Zack. We’re just going to kind of mold this running back room into something new.”
Zac Taylor said Monday that he’s literally been asked “hundreds” of times about Joe Burrow’s surgically repaired right wrist.
“Everything’s been positive,” Taylor said. “If everything’s on track, everything’s on track and so (head athletic trainer) Matt Summers and our staff there, Nick Cosgray works with a lot of the rehab guys. They do a real good job. I have full confidence in them and full confidence to the players are giving them what they need to give them. And so really as a whole, our rehab, everybody’s been on track and hear positive reports on the pace that we think they need to be on.”
Taylor said that Burrow has been through so much rehab in his career that he knows what his body needs in the offseason to heal.
“With these players. Again, my role as a head coach is to make sure I’m engaged with them and understand what they’re going through, but at the same time it’s what they get asked every day by every person that sees him and it’s the number one question I get ask in public when I’m at basketball games or whatever it is, is ‘How’s Joe?’ And so that’s part of it. He a big part of what we’re doing and I obviously understand the concern everybody has, but the guy has been through some rehab processes so he knows how to attack it. He knows how to get his body back right where it needs to be and so excited to see what the season will bring for him.”
During his weekend football camp, Tee Higgins said he does “anticipate” playing for the Bengals in 2024 after the Bengals placed the franchise tag on him in the offseason. Zac Taylor said he’s not going to announce whether he anticipates Higgins showing up for voluntary workouts which continue until mandatory mini-camp in June.
“I won’t speculate who’s going to be here for the voluntary program,” Taylor said. “We’ll keep everything internal with our players.”
“I do anticipate it,” Higgins said of playing for Cincinnati next season. “I’ve grown a love for Cincy that I didn’t think I would. But, you know, man — looking forward to it.”
New @WLWT: Tee Higgins says he does anticipate playing for the Bengals in 2024. pic.twitter.com/kMh0Lar8Ws
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) April 14, 2024
The offseason is a time for players to get prepared for training camp in July and for the front office to continue to build the roster around them.
On Monday, that process officially began for the players inside the construction zone known as Paycor with a meeting and a message from Taylor.
“There’s several things,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to reintroduce some of our new players and our players that have been back like Vonn Bell, so that’s exciting. We got some new coaches that we need to make our guys aware of. We’ve added some new faces to that group as well, so I’m excited about it. And then just the expectations for the off season program, and I’ll get into that with the team before I get into it in here, but those will be some things that you cover to kick off the nine week offseason program that we got.”
While Taylor isn’t going to share details, there’s a very high probability that expectations of a certain standard were discussed. How you go about your work now sets the tone for how you go about it in a month for OTAs, two months for mini-camp and three months when training camp begins.
The work now is really about getting to know your new teammates, their likes, dislikes, how to communicate. In other words, when someone new comes into the office, you want to see what makes them tick.
The way veterans interact with fellow veterans is very different than how those same players interact with rookies, learning the league for the first time. That’s why this phase matters. This is a chance for free agents who signed with the Bengals to learn how they’ll fit in, and vice versa.
“We feel good that we’ve put ourselves in a really good position going into the draft where Duke (Tobin) can do the things that he feels like he needs to do to help our team next year, and in the future. And so I think we’re really well positioned going into the draft next weekend.”
