'He saw something in me early' - Legacy of former Bengals player turned free agent can be seen through his potential replacement

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 4:45 PM ET

Mike Hilton proved to be everything the Cincinnati Bengals envisioned. Hilton signed a four-year contract in the 2021 offseason and became one of the veteran pillars for four consecutive winning seasons and two deep postseason runs.

There's no confusing the quality of Hilton's time in Cincinnati, much like there was no real debate as to what the Bengals would do when his contract expired. The 31-year old hit free agency, and the club decided to move forward with younger pieces in the secondary.

Hilton isn't coming back, but his legacy lives on through the player who may take his starting gig at nickelback.

Josh Newton, the Bengals' fifth-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, is primed to fill Hilton's shoes this season. He'll be competing with Dax Hill and others for significant snaps in the slot as Al Golden's new-look defense will feature cornerbacks moving around in different alignments. He was taking first-team reps at the position during OTAs.

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Cincinnati feels good about Newton heading into his second year because of the flashes he showed as a rookie. Newton told Cincinnati Bengals on SI's Jay Morrison he's taking that progress from last year into a critical second offseason.

“Everything that's happened in the last year has given me a lot of confidence," Newton told Morrison. "I mean, last year is obviously over. But you can still refer back to the good things that you did and keep doing that. But it's important to look at what you didn't do well, too, and start doing that well."

According Newton, many of those good things came from Hilton.

"I learned so much from Mike," Newton said. "Mike had great years here and he was a great reference. He instilled a lot of confidence in me, and the main thing was just at the end of the day, be a dog. Be yourself. He saw something in me early, and that really encouraged me. So I feel like I've grown a lot, but it's still Year 2. There's still a lot of work to do.”

Hilton originally joined the Bengals in the prime of his career and while the first two years with the team were more productive, his impact as a leader were definitely felt in his last two seasons. His last ride just happened to coincide with Newton's first rodeo. The future colliding with the present.

The future is now for the Bengals and Newton, and while Hilton isn't around to experience it, his legacy will be living on through the player he helped inspire.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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