It’s now July, which means preseason football will happen next month, and the beginning of the 2025 regular season is less than two months away.
Even though it’s late in the offseason, there are still some notable veterans available on the free agent market. One of these players is Mike Hilton, a solid nickel cornerback who spent the previous four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals appear set to move on without Hilton, so it remains to be seen where the veteran will end up in 2025. There are plenty of teams who could use a reliable veteran like Hilton, so it shouldn’t be too much longer before a deal is reached.
Matt Holder of Bleacher Report recently identified the best landing spots for the top remaining free agents. For Hilton, Holder believes San Francisco would be a great fit.
Regarding that potential pairing, Holder offered the following:
This pairing would depend on what the plan is with Deommodore Lenoir this season.
Lenoir made his money at slot corner over the last two years, but he may play on the boundary more in 2025 after Charvarius Ward’s departure in free agency. So, there might be room for the 49ers to bring in a veteran nickel ahead of training camp.
As Holder mentioned, this depends on what the team’s plans are for Deommodore Lenoir.
Lenoir has excelled in the slot at times for the 49ers, but he may move to the boundary following the loss of Charvarius Ward. If Lenoir does move to the boundary, the Niners will have a gaping hole at nickel corner.
Currently, Tre Brown would be penciled in to start at the nickel. Brown didn’t perform all that great in limited snaps last season, so adding a player like Hilton would be wise.
In 2024, Hilton played in 16 games for the Bengals and collected 73 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, five pass deflections, and one interception. However, where Hilton really excelled was as a run defender.
Hilton has long been one of the best run-defending corners in the league, but he took his play to the next level in 2024. Hilton finished first among 222 qualified corners in run defense, earning an elite 91.7 Pro Football Focus grade.
In San Francisco, Hilton would not only improve the pass defense, but the run defense as well.
Spotrac projects Hilton to land a three-year deal worth $12.3 million annually. With it being so late in the offseason, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran settle for less.
