Rookies find their footing during 1-day minicamp

Top pick Hill, others ease into the routine before veterans arrive.

—-Dax Hill says he is ready to “earn his stripes” with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The team’s first-round draft pick should get plenty of opportunities for playing time this year as a versatile safety out of Michigan and a player the Bengals had been eying for months leading into their No. 31 overall pick.

However, on his first official day on the field during rookie minicamp Friday, Hill was grateful for a chance to ease into things before preparing to step up into competition with the veterans next week.

“Really I’m just trying to earn my stripes right now, showing the coaches and prove to them and myself that I can hang with the veterans in the NFL,” Hill said Friday, the first day the Bengals locker room has been open to media since the 2020 pandemic changed protocols. “I’m just trying to learn the playbook and do everything I can to get on the field.”

It’s a task he says he is prepared for, but a day with the other rookies was beneficial for a bit of settling in first — even though the practice session was light, featuring only individual position drills and lasting an hour. There were plenty of teachable moments even in that short time.

The Bengals opted for a oneday rookie minicamp rather than taking the three days allowed, and the group included five of the team’s six draft picks and 16 undrafted free agents. Second-round pick Cam Taylor-Britt was absent because of illness, coach Zac Taylor said afterward, noting he is in town but stayed