Imagine the surprised looks on the faces of Bears offensive linemen this week as they look for a way to prevent B.J. Hill from wrecking another game.
What they remember of a pass-rushing Hill – three sacks in the Giants’ upset win last season – is not what fans or other opponents are accustomed to seeing from him. He has 2.5 sacks in his other 25 career games and still is awaiting his first of 2019.
“I just got in a groove that game,” Hill told The Post. “When you get hot, you get hot. Just like in basketball. That’s all it was.”
But it created expectation.
Like fellow 2018 third-round draft pick Lorenzo Carter, Hill entered the season looking to cement his future as a foundational player. Neither has lived up to the billing, but Carter still is starting at outside linebacker whereas Hill has taken a backseat after the in-season trade for Leonard Williams.
“I think we’ve seen some really good snaps [from Hill],” defensive coordinator James Bettcher said earlier this season. “I think we have seen some snaps that he would really like himself to play better. Whether they’re plays that show up in a stat sheet or not, I think disruptive plays are really what define players in this league.”
With Williams, rookie first-round pick Dexter Lawrence and Dalvin Tomlinson starting, Hill has gone from playing 56 percent of the defensive snaps in the first eight games to just 26 percent in the last two. He essentially took the place of rotational backup previously occupied by now-released Olsen Pierre.
“When other people are getting sacks, I’m happy for them,” Hill said. “Mine are going to come when they come. I’m not worried about it.”
Hill describes his responsibility with the 3-4 defense as “play the run first,” but the Giants are ranked No. 23 in rushing defense. He is ranked the No. 24 interior defensive lineman – behind Lawrence and Tomlinson and ahead of Williams – in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
B.J. HillCharles Wenzelberg / New York Post“[Leonard is] very athletic and can get to the quarterback,” Hill said. “He helps us step up our game, too.”
If Hill is feeling like the odd man out, he hides those frustrations. Maybe a little extra motivation from the trade?
“Yeah, but I just come here and do my job, whatever the coaches tell me to do,” Hill said. “Either way, I’m going to work as hard as possible. Whatever happens, happens.”
Hill was named to NFL.com’s All-Rookie Team in 2018 by Hall of Fame talent evaluator Gil Brandt. He lined up mostly outside tackles last season before a late-season shift closer to the guards.
“I’ve been all over, playing almost every position on the D-line. I can play them all,” Hill said. “I think the whole defense is still learning how to play with each other. On the D-line, we are all young, but we still have to go out and make plays.”
For more on the Giants, listen to the latest episode of the “Blue Rush” podcast:
