Cincinnati Cornerback Reveals Best Advice For Rookies

Cincinnati Bengal cornerback DJ Turner II is someone the Bengals should want to keep around.

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Jalen Davis (35) and cornerback DJ Turner II (20) breaks up a pass to New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. The Bengals fall to 3-8 with a 26-20 loss at home. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Since arriving at the Cincinnati Bengals, cornerback DJ Turner II has taken to the NFL without a hitch. Now gearing up for his fourth season in the league, Turner finished last season with the second-most pass breakups in the league (15) and a strong 73.3 PFF Grade.

Turner recently went on Ari Meirov’s “NFL Spotlight” podcast, where Turner spoke on the ups and downs of his first season in the NFL. 

“If You Care About Names, You Lost Before The Ball Gets Snapped”

“You have to get over names. My very first game in the league, I was guarding Amari Cooper. I grew up watching Amari Cooper at Alabama. Then, my second game in the league. I had to go out on Odell [Beckham Jr.]," Turner said to Meirov.

Turner’s rookie year saw the Michigan product earn 12 starts and 17 total appearances, with seven passes defended and 50 combined tackles, including two tackles for loss. 

“You just keep on going against the people you grew up looking at. When you get into the league, you cannot care about names because if you care about names, you lost before the ball gets snapped.” 

As the season wore on, and Turner’s total 829 snaps grew game by game, the former second-round pick pointed to exhaustion. 

“I started off good, started off great, and then at the end of the year, I didn't finish how I wanted to, because it just got so long,  playing 17 games. I was this rookie, playing every [game].  I'm like, ‘yo, this is, this is serious.’”

An End-Of-Season Slump For The Bengals

After a decent enough 5-3 start, Zac Taylor’s team finished the year on a 4-5 stretch, which planted the Bengals to the bottom of an extremely competitive AFC North that saw the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers all make it to the playoffs. 

Due to a stalling end of the season, Turner finished the year without any league-wide accolades, with fellow secondary stalwart Jordan Battle turning in a great end of the season, leaving the pair as one of the most exciting rising duos in the NFL. 

Fast forward two seasons, and Turner has cemented himself as one of the game’s best corners, who is entering the daunting “contract year,” aka, his last year before his rookie deal officially expires, meaning the clock is quickly ticking for an extension to get done.