Mike Hilton bounces right back from finger surgery; Bengals considering change at punter

Last Friday afternoon, after Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said cornerback Mike Hilton would miss the game against the Carolina Panthers with a pinky injury, Hilton started getting direct messages on social media.

Fans were asking him why he was going to miss a game because of a pinky injury. Three days later, Hilton held up his left pinky finger to the camera and showed the reason.

The left side of his left hand had swollen to the size of a golf ball. He had surgery last Tuesday, but Hilton still expects to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers Nov. 20 following the Bengals’ bye week.

“It was actually worse than people think,” Hilton said.

Hilton broke his left pinky finger in the second quarter on Oct. 31 against the Cleveland Browns. He played the rest of the game, and he didn’t realize what had happened until he took his gloves off.

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“After the game, (the left side of my hand) was just fat,” Hilton said. “I couldn’t move it. It ached and it throbbed. It was pretty bad. I feel really good now, but this week off will definitely help.”

Hilton, one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL, missed Sunday’s 42-21 win over the Panthers. Jalen Davis, a former undrafted free agent who has been with the Bengals since 2020, stepped up and made his first career start.

Taylor called Davis one of the 32 best slot cornerbacks in the NFL. On Sunday, Davis was a part of a Bengals defense that only allowed one first down in the first half while facing one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

“I’ve been clawing and scratching my whole life,” Davis said. “I’ll always be ready when the moment arises. I thought I did pretty good. The whole team always had trust in me. That goes a long way as well.”

Hilton will be able to take a few days off during the bye week, but he’ll also have to rehab his finger. He broke one thumb when he was in high school and his other thumb in college, so Hilton has gone through this process before.

“Apparently my fingers aren’t the strong part of my body,” Hilton said.

Hilton expects to wear a brace over his hand against the Steelers, and he said the biggest hurdle will be pain management when he makes a tackle. But by missing last week’s win over the Panthers, Hilton said he avoided a potential worst-case scenario.

“I hated (missing the game) with a passion,” Hilton said. “But I’d rather be healthy for the back end of the schedule than reinjure myself and set myself back.”

Will the Bengals keep Kevin Huber or turn to Drue Chrisman?

Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons was given multiple opportunities on Monday to commit to keeping 14-year veteran punter Kevin Huber on the roster after the bye. Instead, Simmons said that the Bengals are considering giving Drue Chrisman, a first-year player and a Cincinnati native who’s on the Bengals’ practice squad, the chance to be the starter.

“We've constantly been evaluating this whole thing,” Simmons said. “Obviously, our punting game has got to improve. We're not getting out of it what we need to get out of it, in terms of flipping the field. It's something we'll take a look at over this bye week and try to figure out what the best thing is going forward."

Huber has made three bad punts over the Bengals’ last two games. After one of them, Huber reacted by putting his hands on his head in frustration. Simmons said Chrisman has been punting the ball well in practice. Meanwhile, Huber has been struggling in the games.

“It’s no secret, (Kevin) would be the first to tell you that,” Simmons said. “He has got himself in a bit of a slump, too. He made a great analogy. He’s great on the practice range, and he’s just not taking it to the first tee. His practices have been pretty solid. His pregame warmups have been pretty solid. He’s just not taking it to the game. He’s got to figure out how to get that from the range to the first tee. He’s just not doing a very good job of that right now.”

Chris Evans, Dax Hill injury news

Taylor said running back Chris Evans (knee) and safety Dax Hill (shoulder) are both week-to-week.

Evans hadn’t been receiving many offensive snaps, but he was the Bengals’ kick returner. Simmons said that if Evans misses time, running back Trayveon Williams and wide receiver Trent Taylor would fill in to replace Evans’ role on special teams.

Hill had a package of snaps as a third safety, and the Bengals are currently thin at that position. Safeties Tycen Anderson (hamstring) and Brandon Wilson (knee) have both been on the injured reserve list all season. Zac Taylor declined to give an update on how close they both are to returning, but Anderson and Wilson have both been active on the rehab field during practice over the last month.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals news: Mike Hilton surgery; team considering change at punter