The Cincinnati Bengals have the most underrated player in the NFL, according to one national analyst.
While DJ Turner earned praise for his excellent play last season, he remains relatively underrated this season, as he was last year. But beyond being underappreciated, he is also being disrespected with a low market-value evaluation for his next contract.
Hopefully, the Bengals will see him as one of the league's most prolific cornerbacks rather than try to offer him a contract on a par with the one suggested by one of the contract sites we have grown to know and love.
Smooth Turner remains ‘criminally’ underrated
For as much attention that Cincinnati Bengals fans have been giving Amarius Mims for being an excellent pass blocker this season, we should be giving just as much, if not more, attention to DJ Hill, who has proven to be one of the league's best cornerbacks over the past year and a half.
But at least Turner is getting his flowers from some in the national media this season. NFL analyst Field Yates recently made quite the statement about Turner's greatness:
"DJ Turner is the most underrated player in the NFL...A criminally under-discussed player who I don't believe has received All-Pro or Pro Bowl accolades up to this point in his career. That's wild to me.”
Because Yates and friends find it stunningly absurd that not enough people are talking about DJ Turner, they, of course, had to meet football fans where many of them are… Fantasy Football.
As part of their graphics when talking about Turner, they note that Turner shadowed 14 wide receivers in 2025 while averaging only 8.8 fantasy points.
They also note that so far this season, he's limited wide receivers Emeka Egbuka, DK Metcalf, and Parker Washington to 11.3, 12.1, and 2.0 fantasy points, respectively.
Furthermore, they give a nod to Dax Hill and DJ Ivy, referring to them as lockdown corners and mentioning that the Bengals haven't allowed a wide receiver to reach 15 fantasy points this year.
Yates gave Turner his flowers, but Baltimore did not give the Bengals’ cornerback theirs in Week 7.
Yates and crew made their comments before the Ravens' wideout, Zay Flowers, scored 27.7 fantasy points against the Bengals' defense. However, Baltimore did an excellent job moving him around pre-snap, making sure Flowers didn't have to face Turner in many one-on-one situations in which Flowers was the target.
So while most of those covering the game refuse to recognize Turner as one of the best cover corners in the league, his opponents respect him enough to stay away from him. Game recognizes game, as the kids say.
Math not mathing with Turner’s contract valuation
Being underrated shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. However, how potential suitors view players in free agency could affect how much a team is willing to pay him next offseason.
More national attention and praise will ultimately lead to more dollars offered in the contract negotiations. However, DJ Turner and his agents can't be happy with Spotrac's market-value estimates.
Luckily for some, and unfortunately for others, what players end up signing for has little to do with third-party projections. Nevertheless, Spotrac does an excellent job of showing where players fall compared to their peers.
However, Turner should be considered one of the NFL's best cornerbacks, yet he still isn't discussed the same way as the upper tier. His market-value estimate continues that trend.
As Yates pointed out, "That cornerback market exploded this offseason. The likes of Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon, Derek Stingley, Pat Surtain, amongst others, are making crazy, great money. More than 30 million plus per year. DJ Turner belongs in that conversation."
At least for now, Spotrac doesn't agree with Yates or the plethora of reasons Turner's next contract should match those newly inked CB deals.
In 2024, Surtain signed a $24 million-a-year extension with the Broncos. Since then, as Yates pointed out, the floodgates opened on what would be the top of the market, and several cornerbacks rode the wave to new deals.
In 2025, Stingley and Ahmad Gardner re-upped on deals worth $30 million per year, 5 million above the previous highest contract.
This past off-season, Gonzalez, Witherspoon, Denzel Ward, and Trent McDuffie signed extensions worth $33.75, $33, and $31 million, respectively.
While Turner may not reset the market, as his agents may hope, he should be the next cornerback to hit the $30 million-per-year mark, whether in Cincinnati or elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Spotrac puts Turner’s annual average value at $21 million. That is the second-highest average among cornerbacks, with the highest being Joey Porter Jr's $27.4 million per year.
Coincidentally, Turner and Porter share the same agency. With Porter being traded from the Steelers to the Cowboys earlier this season, it only throws an even bigger wrench into whatever the plans are for Cincinnati’s negotiation with their impending free agent and ought-be star.
Bengals can’t let Spotrac dictate Turner’s payday
The Bengals have slow-walked the dog on giving Turner an extension.
Now, the organization has backed itself into a corner with its top three cornerbacks, Turner, Dax Hill, and DJ Ivey, all playing in the final year of their contracts.
That's one reason why Cincinnati scouts were so invested in the Michigan-Indiana game this past weekend.
Nonetheless, Cincinnati will have to pay well above Spotrac’s annual salary average valuation if the Bengals want to retain his services beyond this season. Or they will have to franchise tag him.
Either way, hopefully Turner will continue to play at a near All-Pro level this season to prove that he is worthy of a near top-of-the-market contract next offseason.
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