One day, Jeremy Hill might earn the night off in the Bengals’ exhibition finale, but on Thursday, the rookie tailback was exceptionally busy, touching the ball on nearly half of Cincinnati’s plays in a 35-7 victory over Indianapolis.
Most importantly, the 21-year-old Hill handled the extra work very well. With the Bengals sitting four running backs, Hill rushed 20 times for 90 yards and caught six passes for 70 yards.
Afterwards, coach Marvin Lewis explained why the second-round pick from LSU got so many reps.
“Well, Jeremy has to understand what it’s like to be an NFL running back. We aren’t five deep,” Lewis said, according to a transcript from the club. “When we get to Sundays and we go down to 46 guys, and if he’s going to be the guy, then he’s going to have to be able to shoulder the load.
“You can get some good conditioning out here tonight. He’s going to learn to run with his pads down and protect the football. They were good snaps for him to learn with tonight.”
The 6-foot-1, 238-pound Hill said he would study the tape to see how he could improve on the performance, and he also indicated all the reps would help his fitness.
“I kind of figured I would be getting a big work load today. It’s part of it. I just have to get myself in better shape,” Hill said, according to the club. “On one of those drives I got a little tired. But for the most part, I got my wind back and started finishing runs. It’s something I can hang my hat on.”
Hill is listed as the Bengals’ third-string tailback behind Giovani Bernard and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, but Green-Ellis is slated to make $2.3 million in salary this season, per NFLPA records. Hill, the second back selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, figures to have a role in the Cincinnati backfield. And in the preseason finale, the Bengals got a glimpse of what Hill might be able to do if that were a major role.