The Cincinnati Bengals get a well-deserved rest this week after a comfortable 31-24 win against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. They get a week to recover before a crucial AFC North matchup against the Baltimore Ravens next week.
During the Dolphins game, the Bengals' defense was strong yet again. Notably, Jordan Battle was the highlight, coming up with two interceptions on Malik Willis. The secondary as a whole has been good this year, with DJ Turner and Dax Hill as the primary cornerbacks, and Bryan Cook with Jordan Battle at safety.
DJ Turner's stats have been underwhelming this season
The cornerback room is an interesting case. Dax Hill and Tacario Davis have bettered DJ Turner this season in tackles and turnovers. Furthermore, Turner is tied with Dax Hill on passes defended this season; Before the season, we'd have expected Turner to be far ahead.
DJ Turner is yet to force a turnover this season and has just nine solo tackles, which is tied for 150th in the NFL. Furthermore, he's tied for 11th in passes defended. It's not that his stats are bad, but they are particularly unremarkable, and there's a very good reason for this.
Teams have been avoiding DJ Turner
Turner is the Bengals' number one cornerback, and usually finds himself on the perimeter, lining up against opposing teams' best wide receivers. If you look at the past three games' stats for the WR1 on opposing teams, it's clear that Turner is hampering the wideouts' production.
Dolphins WR1 Malik Washington went for 43 yards; the Jags' first-choice outside receiver, Jakobi Meyers, went for 33 yards; and, even in a game where Aaron Rodgers threw for almost 300 yards, DK Metcalf could only manage 31 yards.
It's clear that opposing quarterbacks are actively avoiding throwing to Turner's side of the field, a point Zac Taylor also emphasised at his most recent press conference. He said: "He does a great job. The statistics aren’t there because he isn’t being targeted. He made a great play on the ball in the end zone."
"I do think he’s covering really well and other teams recognise that."Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
Turner's good year was paramount to his success in Cincinnati, as a poor year could have led the Bengals to let him walk in free agency. But, seeing as the 25-year-old is performing, regardless of what the numbers say, the Bengals need to ensure that either a new contract or using the franchise tag on Turner is a top priority.
Bengals CB DJ Turner is making a strong case to be a potential All-Pro corner this year. Has been very sticky in coverage and surrendered very few yards per coverage snap.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) October 14, 2026
(also: MY WORD, Trent McDuffie!!) pic.twitter.com/fMd5xS6B8l
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