Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner is among the best at his position in the NFL. Few seem to realize that, but just as some in the media are beginning to give Turner his flowers, he's suffered an ankle injury in Sunday's 43-36 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Shoot just the fact that it takes real effort to find a clear photo of Turner for this article is proof of how underrated he is. And according to the preliminary Week 8 PFF grades, Turner was the Bengals' best defender at 91.1, allowing only two catches for five yards on three targets.
Cam Ward didn't want to throw the ball Turner's way much all afternoon, though the Titans signal-caller did have an impressive outing all the same. I shudder to think what might happen to this secondary if Turner misses any significant time.
Turner injured late in win over Titans and ruled out right away
The Bengals announced Turner was out with that left ankle injury pretty fast. Usually you get a little hanging in suspense or a questionable designation. It may have been as simple as that it was just late in the game and there was no need to press Turner back into duty. Or logistically he couldn't have received medical clearance in time to return for overtime.
Regardless of any of that speculation, we have some visual evidence to look into here. As WDTN's Joey DeBerardino captured Turner leaving the field, it looked like there was a slight limping action but nothing too exaggerated:
JUST IN: Bengals CB DJ Turner II heads to the locker room after suffering a lower body injury in the 4th. @WDTN pic.twitter.com/RsZ9fCMjJG
— Joey DeBerardino (@JoeyDeBerardino) November 1, 2026
It bodes well at least that Turner didn't need to be carted off. He was in what looked to be a lot of pain when he did go down on the turf. However, based on how he's moving in the video above, not to be like armchair M.D., but he should at least have a puncher's chance to play in Madrid against the Atlanta Falcons.
You know what doesn't bode well? How weirdly deployed and thin the Bengals' cornerbacks are. Dax Hill was benched at some point today. He can't stop being yo-yo'd as a slot and boundary cornerback.
Who else is there to lean on if Turner can't go in Week 9 or beyond?
Rookie third-rounder Tacario Davis got playing time earlier this season but seems to have lost the coaching staff's trust. D.J. Ivey is a past seventh-round pick who's serviceable but not great. Josh Newton has inside-outside versatility in theory, but I don't know about him as a full-time nickel.
When Turner is out of the equation, the cornerback corps in Cincinnati suddenly goes from solid-looking on paper to a major area of concern.
Despite Turner's best efforts, Ward completed 25 of 37 passes for 298 yards, two TDs and a 110.0 passer rating on Sunday before overtime. Titans tailback Tony Pollard also went way over 100 yards and scored twice on the ground.
Anyway, really hoping DJ is back in action soon. This could be really, really bad — especially knowing that defensive ends Cedric Johnson and Cashius Howell suffered injuries as well and could make the pass rush rotation a lot worse off, which obviously impacts the secondary.
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