Life in the NFL often comes at you fast, and even the best players can quickly go from top of the league to fighting for a roster spot. That is especially true at the cornerback position. The Pittsburgh Steelers are testing the limits of that with the additions of Jalen Ramsey (30) and Darius Slay (34).
Another corner that was looking to fend off Father Time this season is former Steelers corner Mike Hilton. Hilton spent the last four seasons as the Bengals' primary slot corner after filling that role for Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent from 2017-2020. Now 31, the Bengals chose not to re-sign him this offseason, and he landed on the corner-needy Dolphins this summer.
Unfortunately for Hilton, even the lackluster Miami secondary wasn't a group he could stick in. The Dolphins cut him Monday afternoon, choosing to move forward with rookie Jason Marshall Jr. in the slot. Could this be it for the veteran's career?
Former Pittsburgh Steelers corner Mike Hilton may have played his last snap after Dolphins release
First, let's get it out of the way; I don't think the Steelers will be interested in bringing Hilton in this late in the roster-building process. They already have a logjam at the backend of their corner depth chart, and it could mean the end for a similar player in Beanie Bishop Jr.
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Still, Hilton wasn't a disaster by any means in his age-30 season in 2024. The Bengals were a mess on defense overall, but he was still the same tough run defender and average cover player that he has been throughout his career. He has definitely slowed down compared to his early years, but it seemed highly likely that he would make the Dolphins roster and be the primary nickel defender.
Instead, Hilton now has to try and find a job elsewhere with just over a week before the 2025 season kicks off. Even though the Dolphins' corner room is among the worst in the league, failing to make the roster doesn't mean he won't have suitors. A return to the Bengals could still make sense given their lack of depth at corner, and any potential injuries could have teams calling him to provide a veteran presence.
If he can latch on to a roster this year and play well, he may be one of the rare corners who can stick around in the NFL into his 30s. Being a slot-only player helps with that, but even then, it's hard to play nearly a decade in the NFL at any position. If this is the end for him, however, he had quite the career for an undrafted free agent.