“It’s an honor,” Kendall Walker said. “I’ve been a Bengals fan since I was little. I guess it’s in my blood.”
Kevin Walker was a rookie linebacker on the 1988 Super Bowl team. A third-round pick out of Maryland, he played in 44 games in a five-year career and is best known for making the tackle that ended Bo Jackson’s career during a playoff game in Oakland in 1991.
“I’ve seen film,” Walker said of his dad’s playing days. “He was pretty good. He could hit pretty good and run pretty good. When we had a VCR (I would watch his games). Everything is DVD now, and I think he still has them in tape form. They’re somewhere around the house. I just need to convert them.”
Darius Hillary said they still have a VCR and he uses it to watch tape of his dad, who was an eighth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1985 but didn’t make his NFL debut until 1987 with the Bengals.
Hillary caught 23 passes for 185 yards during a three-year career in Cincinnati before playing his final season with Minnesota in 1990.
“Just growing up around the program and hearing my dad and my godfathers (former Bengals such as Barney Bussey, Joe Kelly and Tim McGee) talk about it, it’s something special,” Darius said. “I don’t really feel any pressure. I talked to my godfathers and my dad and they all said just go out and earn a position and do the best you can and they’ll be fine with that. It’s just going out there and playing football and having fun and making the most of this opportunity.”
Hillary signed an undrafted free agent contract, while Walker is participating on a tryout basis, which means he has three days to impress the coaches and earn a contract that will keep him around.
“I’m just taking advantage of my opportunities,” Walker said. “I know there are going to be a few. Just learning fast and not breaking down. Knowing the playbook and doing what I am supposed to do and playing hard. Play hard, smart, fast.”
Whereas Walker has three days to get noticed, Hillary and the rest of the UFAs have three months as they’re expected to be around through the start of training camp.
But Hillary said he’s not looking at it that way.
“You always want to make an impression, and it’s in everything you do, from how you treat the staff around here, your coaches, your teammates, and just locker room etiquette, just how you treat your own space,” he said. “You definitely want to make an impression with how you learn and in the film room and how you’re able to apply that to the field.”
Hillary had other UFA offers, but he said he felt the Bengals were the best fit, and it had little to do with the fact that his dad wore stripes.
“I was looking at depth charts and the type of defenses that some of the teams played and injuries,” he said. “All those things factored in, and I felt the Bengals were the best situation for me.
“I’ve known (defensive backs coach Kevin) Coyle for a while,” he added. “I was down here for the local pro day and we watched a little film and he showed me some of the coverages that they run and it’s similar to what I’ve already done up at Wisconsin. So I felt like that would be an easier fit. And just the guys around here, I’ve heard nothing but good things about the locker room. The guys carry themselves in a very positive way. That’s something I honed in on.”
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