CINCINNATI -- The most important thing to happen to the Cincinnati Bengals on draft weekend occurred after they made all 10 of their picks.
In his post-draft news conference, coach Zac Taylor revealed that Dax Hill, the team's first-round selection in 2022, was moving from safety to cornerback.
It was the latest development in a series of moves aimed to fix a Cincinnati defense gashed by big plays last season. That announcement also brought another decision back into the spotlight.
Ahead of the 2021 season, former safety Jessie Bates III and the Bengals failed to come to an agreement on a multi-year deal that would have made him one of the league's highest-paid safeties. A year later, Cincinnati gave him the one-year franchise tag and drafted Hill, who eventually became Bates' replacement.
Nearly three years later, the Bengals are finding out just how expensive that decision on Bates was. By bringing back former safety Vonn Bell, who started alongside Bates from 2020 to 2022, and adding the Baltimore Ravens' Geno Stone, Cincinnati is hoping it can fix the back of its defense.
In hindsight, perhaps extending Bates as early as 2021 might have alleviated some of the concerns that have yet to be resolved.
"We can say in hindsight that could have done that, but we never know how things may have worked out," Bell told ESPN on Monday, "and what moving pieces they had around what they were trying to do in the locker room at the time."
In 2021, quarterback Joe Burrow, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2020, was still recovering from multiple torn ligaments in his left knee. The team had won a combined six games in Taylor's first two seasons (2019-20).
From the time Cincinnati drafted Bates out of Wake Forest in 2018, the former second-round pick established himself as a starter. And even though the team had struggled, Bates had emerged as arguably the team's best defensive player. In 2020, Bates had the lowest expected points added of all safeties in the NFL when targeted as the nearest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
And the following year, he wanted to be paid what he viewed as appropriate.
"I guess I haven't done enough yet to be considered one of the top safeties in the league, which is fine," Bates said during an interview done by the team during training camp in 2021.
Burrow was still on his rookie contract and his contract took up only 8.22% of the team's total cap space, according to OverTheCap.com. But the Bengals prioritized other deals and gave Bates the franchise tag in 2022 and drafted Hill.
When Hill arrived out of Michigan, he was primarily a slot cornerback who had positional flexibility that made him an appealing draft pick. As a rookie, he lined up at multiple positions, including inside and outside cornerback.
That made the transition to safety a bit more challenging when it was time to replace Bates, who signed a four-year deal worth $64 million with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
"When I first came in, I wasn't in that role [of safety] at all," Hill said on Monday. "Stepping in and trying to make the most out of that, that was something that I had to get used to."
At the beginning of free agency, the Bengals privately told Hill that the experiment of him at safety was effectively over. Last year, the Bengals allowed the second-most receptions of 20 yards or more, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Cincinnati made it a point to fix the safety room by adding Stone, who signed a two-year deal worth $14 million and bringing back Bell, who was cut by the Carolina Panthers one year after he signed a three-year deal that featured $13 million in guaranteed money.
When Bell hit the market, Burrow was the first person to send him a text message. It was short and simple: "The return?" Later, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo also sent him a note to see if it was actually going to be a reality.
It was. Cincinnati wanted to improve the communication amongst the safeties, something that was lacking last year. The Bengals were thrilled when he returned.
"Just his presence every day, knowing that the back end is going to be on the same page lined up, he's going to be the first one in the building, it's just comforting having Vonn back in the building, to say the least," defensive end Sam Hubbard said recently.
But as for the other spot, getting back to the previous standard remains to be seen.
Bates earned long overdue recognition in his first season with the Falcons when he made his first Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro selection. If Stone, who had seven interceptions with the Ravens last season, can play at that level, it'll help Cincinnati reestablish its defense.
Had the Bengals given Bates a contract extension in 2021, he'd likely be toward the end of that deal.
Instead, Cincinnati is learning a hard lesson. Sometimes, finding a cheaper option comes at an unexpected cost.
"Some people think it is plug and play," Bell said. "But when we're in this locker room (like) right now, it is really like a brotherhood and it goes a long way on the field."