The Dallas Cowboys need to bounce back in 2025. The team went 7-10 last season, and the defense regressed in one season under Mike Zimmer. Matt Eberflus has taken over as defensive coordinator, and the Cowboys could still use help in the secondary.
Dallas recently opened training camp, and one analyst named a veteran defensive back who could stabilize the defense.
Mike Hilton Would Add Durability and Proven Production to Cowboys’ Injury-Riddled Secondary
Dallas had a down year overall, but the Cowboys’ defense was a major disappointment, allowing the fifth-most yards and second-most points in the league last year after allowing the fifth-fewest in each in 2023.
The Cowboys absorbed long-term injuries to both starting cornerbacks last season. DaRon Bland missed the first 10 games after suffering a stress fracture during training camp. Trevon Diggs missed the final six games, eventually needing surgery to repair a lingering knee injury.
If Dallas is looking for help in its secondary, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox could have the answer. He recently named Mike Hilton one of his best available free agents and feels that Dallas would be a logical suitor.
“[Rasul] Douglas might be the top target for cornerback-needy teams seeking help on the perimeter. Those seeking a defensive back with inside-outside versatility, however, should be eyeing Mike Hilton,” Knox writes.
“Hilton appeared in 16 games with the Bengals in 2024, making 10 starts. He finished the year ranked 23rd among all cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus. While the 31-year-old can be a tad inconsistent in pass coverage, he remains a terrific run defender and one of the league’s best blitzing cornerbacks,” he continued.
Hilton played in all but four games during his Cincinnati tenure and could provide the Cowboys’ secondary with some much-needed durability.
“As a full-time contributor in 2023, he tallied 73 tackles, 8 passes defended and 12 tackles for loss.” Knox explains. “Hilton would be a terrific target for the Dallas Cowboys, who enter camp with injury concerns at cornerback.
“Two-time Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs is recovering from knee surgery that he underwent in January, while rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. is recovering from a torn ACL.”
Hilton signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after going undrafted in 2016. He was cut before the regular season and landed on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad after a brief stint with the New England Patriots.
He won Pittsburgh’s starting nickel job the following year and was with the Steelers until signing a four-year, $24 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency during the 2021 offseason. Hilton started nine games for the Bengals that year on the team’s run to Super Bowl 56.
His best season in Cincinnati was 2023, when Hilton totaled eight pass breakups, two interceptions, and a career high 84 tackles. He has 13 interceptions during his eight-year career, and is still looking for a new NFL home. Could Dallas be the right fit?
Dallas’s pass defense took a huge step backward in 2024, but Hilton could be the stabilizing piece. Bland is listed as the starting nickel, with recently acquired Kaiir Elam projected to start outside opposite Diggs. Elam had a history of poor play with the Buffalo Bills, so it wouldn’t be hard to shift Bland outside if Hilton joins the team.
Hilton has a lot left in the tank, but has yet to find a home for 2025.
