Bengals News: Day 2 of the draft, Giovani Bernard retirement, and more

In Bengals news, the second day of the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books and the stripes snagged two defensive players. Also, Giovani Bernard has decided to retire after 10 seasons.

With their second-round pick, the Bengals selected DJ Turner out of Michigan and in the third round, they added Jordan Battle out of Alabama. Both of these players will join an already-young Bengals secondary and hopefully, they're up to the task of slowing down the speedy receivers in the AFC.

Former Bengals running back Giovani Bernard announced on Friday that he'd be hanging up the cleats and retiring. Bernard was a second-round pick by the Bengals in the 2013 NFL Draft and went on to play for them for eight years before finishing his career in Tampa Bay. He rushed for just shy of 3,700 yards and 22 touchdowns while tallying another 2,867 yards and 11 touchdowns as a pass-catcher.

Here's what's trending in Bengals news.

2023 NFL Draft: Pick-by-pick analysis for Day 2 [Eric Edholm, NFL.com]

Edholm notes that Turner could be a solid replacement for Chidobe Awuzie who is recovering from an ACL injury. It's also worth noting that Awuzie is entering the final year of his contract so this could be another example of the Bengals getting ahead of the game.

Edholm said that Battle isn't anything special but does mention his durability. The Bengals could use a reliable defensive back down the stretch in case injuries start to pop up.

NFL Draft 2023: Day 2 Grades for Every Pick [Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report]

The Turner pick was given a B because he's undersized. Sobleski gave the Battle pick a C, discussing that while Battle is reliable, he was always second-best to Alabama teammate Brian Branch.

2023 NFL Draft trade candidates: Ryan Tannehill among big-name possibilities after Titans draft Will Levis [Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports]

Joe Mixon makes an appearance on this list. The running back is expensive and coming off his worst season in the pros. The Bengals did not take a running back during the first two days so it's feeling less likely that they move on from Mixon before the season begins but maybe they land one of the other running backs on this list in a counter move.

Former Bengal Giovani Bernard Sends Another Thank You Note As He Ends Classy 10-Year Career [Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com]

""To be able to get out of it healthy, to get out of it with my mind sharp, my body feels good and I chugged it out to (year) ten," Bernard said. "I'm excited to get to the next phase.""

- From Hobson's article

Enjoy retirement, Gio!