Troy Hill (born August 29, 1991) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
for the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
.
High school career
Hill attended
St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, California. He played
defensive back and
wide receiver for a team that posted an 11–2 record his senior season; however, all of those wins were forfeited when it was learned that Hill was ineligible. Hill received high school honors, earning the 2009 All-Channel League First-Team Defense, 2008 Second-Team All-State Junior by CalHiSports.com,
2007 All-Channel League Second-Team Defense,
and All-CIF-Southern Section Northern Division. Hill earned a three-star rating from Scout.com, also a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, and the No. 32 corner in the country.
College career
As a junior, Hill was the Ducks’ fifth-leading tackler among their defensive backs. Hill finished the year with 29 tackles with 21 tackles being solo and four deflected passes. As a senior in Oregon, Hill finished seventh on the team in tackles with 71. Hill was awarded with a second-team Pac-12 all-conference choice and 14-game starter ranked second in the league (1.46 avg.) in passes defended and 11th nationally.
Hill was arrested on December 16, 2013 and suspended from the team after he pleaded guilty to menacing; he was later reinstated to the team.
Professional career
Cincinnati Bengals
On May 3, 2015, the
Cincinnati Bengals signed Hill to a three-year,
$1.58 million
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...
that includes a
signing bonus of $5,500.
Throughout training camp, Hill competed for a roster spot as a backup cornerback against
Chris Lewis-Harris
Chris Lewis-Harris (born February 11, 1989) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He has also been a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, and New York ...
,
Onterio McCalebb, and
Brandon Ghee
Brandon Ghee (born June 6, 1987) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Bengals in the third round (96th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft and has also played for the Tennessee Titans. He played college football at Wake Fo ...
. On September 5, 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals waived Hill, but signed him to their practice squad the next day after clearing waivers. On December 5, 2015, Hill was promoted from the practice squad to the Bengals’ active roster. Upon joining the active roster, head coach
Marvin Lewis
Marvin Ronald Lewis (born September 23, 1958) is an American football coach who is the special advisor to the head coach at Arizona State. Previously, Lewis was the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for 1 ...
named Hill the fourth cornerback on the Bengals’ depth chart, behind
Dre Kirkpatrick
D'Andre Lawan "Dre" Kirkpatrick (born October 26, 1989) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Alabama and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2012 NF ...
,
Leon Hall
Leon Lastarza Hall (born December 9, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football for the University of Michigan, and earned consensus All-American honors. Hall was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first rou ...
, and
Josh Shaw. On December 6, 2015, Hill made his professional regular season debut and recorded three solo tackles during a 37–3 win at the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
in Week 13. In Week 15, he collected a season-high three solo tackles in the Bengals’ 24–14 victory at the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. On December 24, 2015, the Cincinnati Bengals waived Hill and replaced him with Chris Lewis-Harris.
New England Patriots
On December 25, 2015, the
New England Patriots claimed Hill off waivers. On December 30, 2015, the New England Patriots officially waived Hill.
St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams
225px, Hill with the Rams in 2018.
On December 31, 2015, the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
claimed Hill off waivers from the
New England Patriots. Hill, who was inactive for the Rams' season-ending 19–16 loss at
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, finished his rookie season in
2015 with six combined tackles (five solo) in three games and zero starts.
Following the Rams' relocation to Los Angeles, Hill competed for a roster spot in training camp against
Jabriel Washington and
Mike Jordan. Head coach
Jeff Fisher
Jeffrey Michael Fisher (born February 25, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach and general manager for the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL). He is a former cornerback and return specialist. He ...
named Hill the fifth cornerback on the Rams’ depth chart to begin the regular season, behind
Trumaine Johnson,
E. J. Gaines,
Coty Sensabaugh, and
Lamarcus Joyner.
On September 25, 2016, Hill earned his first career start and collected a season-high 11 solo tackles during a 37–32 win at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
in Week 3. Hill earned his first career start after passing Coty Sensabaugh on the depth chart. Sensabaugh had a disappointing performance after replacing E.J Gaines who missed the first three games due to a thigh injury. Hill was inactive for the Rams’ Week 11 loss to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
as a result of his arrest. On November 22, 2016, the Los Angeles Rams released Hill and signed him to their practice squad after he was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence (See Personal life). On December 12, 2016, the Los Angeles Rams fired head coach
Jeff Fisher
Jeffrey Michael Fisher (born February 25, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach and general manager for the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League (USFL). He is a former cornerback and return specialist. He ...
after they fell to a 4–9 record. Special teams coordinator
John Fassel
John Fassel (born January 10, 1974) is an American football coach who is the special teams coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the special teams coordinator and interim head coach for the ...
was named the interim head coach for the remaining three games of the regular season. On December 13, 2016, the Los Angeles Rams promoted Hill to their active roster. He finished the
2016 NFL season
The 2016 NFL season was the 97th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 51st of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 8, 2016, with defending Super Bowl 50 champion Denver defeating Carolina in the NF ...
with 40 combined tackles (32 solo) and two pass deflections in 12 games and four starts.
On January 13, 2017, the Los Angeles Rams announced their decision to hire
Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator
Sean McVay
Sean McVay (born January 24, 1986) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He became the youngest NFL head coach in the modern era when he was hired by the Rams in 201 ...
as their new head coach. On May 1, 2017, the NFL announced their decision to suspend Hill for the first two games of the 2017 NFL season after violating the NFL’s Substance Abuse Policy. Throughout training camp, Hill competed for a roster spot as a backup cornerback against
Nickell Robey-Coleman
Nickell Earl Robey-Coleman (born January 17, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2013 after playing college fo ...
and Mike Jordan. Upon returning from his three-game suspension, head coach Sean McVay named Hill the fifth cornerback on the Rams’ depth chart, behind Trumaine Johnson, Kayvon Webster, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and
Dominique Hatfield.
Hill was inactive for a Week 6 victory at the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
due to a shoulder injury. He was also sidelined for the Rams’ Week 11 loss at the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
after suffering a hamstring injury.
Hill started the final three games of the regular season as well as the wild card loss to the Atlanta Falcons in place of the injured
Kayvon Webster, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 14.
On March 12, 2019, the Rams tendered Hill as a restricted free agent. He was re-signed to a two-year deal on May 30, 2019.
After wearing #32 since becoming a Ram, Hill voluntarily gave up his jersey number during the 2019 offseason after being paid $32,000 by free agent signee
Eric Weddle
Eric Steven Weddle (born January 4, 1985) is an American former American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football at University of ...
and switched to #20. During the 2019 season, Hill changed his number from #20 to #22 to accommodate the acquisition of
Jalen Ramsey
Jalen Lattrel Ramsey (born October 24, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars fifth over ...
, for which Ramsey reportedly paid $20,000. In Week 11 against the
Chicago Bears on
Sunday Night Football, Hill recorded six tackles, sacked
Mitch Trubisky
Mitchell David Trubisky (born August 20, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina and was drafted second overall by the Chicago ...
once, and intercepted a pass thrown by Trubisky in the 17–7 win.
In Week 2 of the 2020 season against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
, Hill recorded his second interception of the season off a pass thrown by
Carson Wentz
Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Wentz played college football at North Dakota State, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS ...
late in the fourth quarter to secure a 37–19 Rams' win. In Week 12, against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Hill recovered a fumble forced by teammate
Aaron Donald
Aaron Charles Donald (born May 23, 1991) is an American football defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh, where he received unanimous All-American honors, and ...
on
Raheem Mostert
Dominique Raheem Mostert (born April 9, 1992) is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue.
Mostert attended New Smyrna Beach High School in New Smyrna B ...
and returned it for a 20 yard touchdown during the 23–20 loss.
In Week 13 against the
Arizona Cardinals, Hill intercepted a pass thrown by
Kyler Murray
Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint at Texas A&M, Murray played college football at Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman Trop ...
and returned it for a 35-yard touchdown during the 38–28 win.
In Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals, Hill intercepted a pass thrown by
Chris Streveler and returned it for an 84 yard touchdown during the 18–7 win.
Cleveland Browns
On March 22, 2021, Hill signed a four-year, $24 million with the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
.
Los Angeles Rams (second stint)
On April 30, 2022, the Browns traded Hill to the Rams for a fifth-round pick in the
2023 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29, ...
. He was placed on injured reserve on September 20, 2022 after suffering a groin injury in Week 2. He was designated to return from injured reserve on October 24, 2022, and activated for Week 8.
Carolina Panthers
On August 20, 2023, Hill signed with the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
.
NFL career statistics
Regular season statistics
Personal life
While at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
, Hill majored in social science.
On November 19, 2016, Hill was arrested by
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enforcem ...
for
suspicion of drunk driving. Hill was driving on
U.S. Route 101 in his white
Mercedes Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
just before 8AM and swerved into a
semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-traile ...
. California Highway Patrol responded to the scene of the accident and arrested Hill after noticing signs of intoxication and performing a
field sobriety test
Field sobriety tests (FSTs), also referred to as standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs), are a battery of tests used by police officers to determine if a person suspected of impaired driving is intoxicated with alcohol or other drugs. ''FSTs ...
. Hill was taken to the
Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys station
Van Nuys station is an Amtrak and Metrolink train station in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Amtrak's ''Pacific Surfliner'' from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, Amtrak's ''Coast Starlight'' from Los Angeles to Seattle, Wash ...
and was booked and processed before posting a $15,000
bail
Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required.
In some countrie ...
.
References
External links
Los Angeles Rams bioNew England Patriots bioOregon Ducks bioNFL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Troy
1991 births
Living people
African-American players of American football
American football cornerbacks
Carolina Panthers players
Cincinnati Bengals players
Cleveland Browns players
Los Angeles Rams players
New England Patriots players
Oregon Ducks football players
Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio
St. Louis Rams players
21st-century African-American sportspeople