The Cincinnati Bengals have an intriguing list of free agents heading to the open market soon.
Most, of course, fall far beneath the hype of Tee Higgins’ trip — which just got some cold water thrown on it in a new report.
It’s worth pointing out, though, that plenty of other names on the list are worth circling as notable. One is cornerback Mike Hilton, who still manages to rank 34th overall on the new top 50 free agents list from ESPN’s Matt Bowen:
A slot corner who plays with a sense of urgency, Hilton had 12 tackles for loss and eight pressures this 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.
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The Bengals have a tough call to make on Hilton. He’ll be 31 next year and was slowing down, to the point of seeing his role reduced last year.
Yet, he’s unquestionably a locker room leader and still very effective near the line and when pressuring the passer. The fact Cam Taylor-Britt hasn’t panned out and both DJ Turner and Dax Hill are coming back from injuries for a shaky cornerback depth chart seem to point in his favor, too.
Tack on the fact Hilton’s ranking like this despite his age still, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Al Golden’s return almost guarantee he gets another contract with the Bengals.
