(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Bengals' slot cornerback Mike Hilton will make his return to Heinz Field on Sunday to play his former team, and he's hoping that he can bring down Ben Roethlisberger for a sack.
Getting sacks was Hilton's forte in Pittsburgh, as he recorded 9.5 sacks and 32 tackles for a loss in his four-year tenure with the Steelers.
In the Bengals' upset win over the Steelers in Week 15 last year. Hilton remembers strong safety Vonn Bell delivering a vicious hit to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
It was at that moment that Hilton realized things were changing in Cincinnati.
“Just seeing how physical those guys were and knowing that they were a couple of pieces away from turning the corner, that attracted me here,” Hilton said via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I'm still excited to be here."
Goldsmith also noted that Clairton and Pitt product, wide receiver Tyler Boyd, believes the addition of Hilton reverses the script, as it was usually Hilton who was defending Boyd in the slot when he was in Pittsburgh and making impact plays.
“He was their leading turnover maker last year,” Boyd said. “That’s huge on their behalf. Getting him reverses that, because now we’ve got a solid player who can blitz and we can get turnovers and get him to disguise it and get the ball.”