The Dallas Cowboys shocked fans in the 2019 draft when they passed on a deep secondary to take on UCF defensive tackle Trysten Hill with the 58th overall pick. Given that safety Juan Thornhill was still available, that was shocking. But defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli was sold on the idea that Hill would be a cornerstone player. But what he wouldn’t have anticipated was that his handpicked choice would go on to throw a punch on Thanksgiving, face a flurry of fines, and now a fresh new controversy that may forever close the doors to his NFL dreams.

On March 26, Hill’s off-field troubles reached a boiling point. According to local reports, Hill was recently arrested by the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office. It was due to two bond forfeiture warrants stemming from a 2025 criminal investigation. He had been charged with assault of a pregnant person and interfering with an emergency request for assistance.

He was booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie and is currently being held on a total bond of $3,500. As of now, the identity of the person involved and the nature of their relationship with Hill have not been disclosed. Unfortunately, this is not his first brush with poor judgment.

One of the more notable ones came in Week 3 of the 2020 season against the Seattle Seahawks. after the play had ended, which resulted in a sprain. On the same drive, he followed that up with a late helmet-to-helmet hit on quarterback , who avoided injury. The league fined him $6,522 for each hit, totaling $13,044. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was clear in his sentiments, “I was really pissed about that,” via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. But little did anyone know, the following season would reveal what the NFL described as a much darker, more calculated side of Hill’s mindset.

The following season, Hill was suspended for one game of the in a postgame altercation after the Cowboys’ 33-36 loss to Las Vegas.  And according to the NFL disciplinary letter, Hill had waited for more than 50 seconds after the game to find Simpson, making it premeditated rather than a “heat of the moment” act.

NFL VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension, with the league releasing the notice he sent to Hill.

“After the Las Vegas Raiders-Dallas Cowboys game on November 25, you engaged in conduct that this office considers unnecessary roughness and displays a lack of sportsmanship,” Runyan told Hill. “Specifically, as both teams were shaking hands, you waited more than 50 seconds for your opponent at the 50-yard line. When you located him, you then walked toward him in the opposite direction of your locker room. You both engaged in a verbal chest-to-chest confrontation, which you escalated by throwing an open-hand punch to his face mask, forcible enough to cause your opponent’s helmet to come off.”

Fast forward to now, and Hill’s controversies have gained momentum. The difference this time is clear. The controversy isn’t coming from something that happened on the field but from issues away from it.

A look at Trysten Hill’s unstable NFL career

Amid the on-field altercations that followed him, Trysten Hill still managed to spend three and a half seasons with the Cowboys. Drafted 58th overall, he entered the league with expectations but never quite found his footing. As a rookie, he played a backup role at the three-technique behind Maliek Collins. He finished his rookie year with just four tackles and three quarterback pressures.

That early trend more or less carried through his time in Dallas. Across his stint with the Cowboys, Hill put up 39 combined tackles and just 0.5 sacks. Eventually, the team moved on, waiving him midway through the 2022 season after a run that never really took off.

From there, stability became the issue. Hill bounced around the league, spending time with the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts. He saw the field in Arizona and New England, but those opportunities didn’t lead to any real turnaround.

After spending the 2024 season in Indianapolis, he hasn’t signed with another team. And now, with his NFL future already uncertain, this latest off-field controversy only adds another layer to where things stand for him moving forward.