Mike Hilton was the last steady slot corner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it appears his career is now coming to a close. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter he was informed of his release this morning from the Miami Dolphins, just ahead of roster cutdowns on Tuesday.
A former undrafted free agent, Hilton played his first four seasons in Pittsburgh before switching sides in the division rivalry to play with the Cincinnati Bengals for four more years. He was a big part of the Bengals teams that made deep playoff runs in 2021 and 2022, including the Super Bowl loss.
Turning 32 this season, Hilton’s recent play is a clear indication that he’s lost a step. Since he’s in shape to play, he will likely find an opportunity on a roster somewhere around the league. If not on the 53-man roster, Hilton could make a practice squad candidate to be elevated on game day as needed.
The Steelers had a need at slot corner entering the offseason, but they traded for Jalen Ramsey and signed Brandin Echols. It’s not even certain they will have a spot for Beanie Bishop Jr. right now, let alone a nearly 32-year-old corner who wasn’t playing his best ball last year.
Miami had just signed Hilton at the start of training camp in late July, not too long after the Ramsey trade took place. It looked like he had a chance to compete for their starting slot role, but now finds himself looking for a job elsewhere.
He still had an impressive 12 tackles for loss and 73 total tackles for the Bengals in 2024, but he was a liability in coverage. If the Steelers want a sure tackler on their roster in the slot, that’s a role Bishop fills quite nicely with more upside in coverage as a young player.
