Bengals CB DJ Turner II's injury prognosis is slightly better than initially feared according to Zac Taylor
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II did in fact suffer a broken clavicle against the Los Angeles Chargers this past Sunday, but his season may not be over yet.Head coach Zac Taylor told reporters Tuesday afternoon that Turner will be placed on the Reserve/Injured list but a return this season is on the table. Turner […]
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback DJ Turner II did in fact suffer a broken clavicle against the Los Angeles Chargers this past Sunday, but his season may not be over yet.
Head coach Zac Taylor told reporters Tuesday afternoon that Turner will be placed on the Reserve/Injured list but a return this season is on the table.
Turner has started the last six games for Cincinnati after Dax Hill suffered a season-ending torn ACL back in Week 5. He's allowed a passer rating of just 74.0 when targeted in coverage, per Pro Football Focus, and has eight passes defensed in 11 total games played.
While Hill won a starting gig over Turner during the preseason, the second-year player has been counted on in each game this season in various roles. He began the year as the first cornerback off the bench, and then found his groove as a starter opposite of Cam Taylor-Britt over the past month. His injury is undoubtedly unfortunate considering how he was playing, but not being declared out for the year is much better news than what was reported yesterday.
Who will start at cornerback with DJ Turner II out?
When Turner went out of the game, rookie Josh "Fig" Newton was playing for Taylor-Britt, who was benched earlier in the game. It was the second time this year Taylor-Britt had been pulled from a game. Had Turner not gotten hurt, there was a case to be made that the Bengals' top cornerback on the depth chart had officially lost his starting gig.
Now that Turner will be out a minimum four weeks, Taylor-Britt will likely be back in the starting lineup along with Newton, who entered last week as the first corner off the bench.
Taylor-Britt and Newton will start on the outside with Mike Hilton remaining inside at nickelback. DJ Ivey now becomes the first corner off the bench, and another from the practice squad—Micah Abraham, Nate Brooks, or Jalen Davis—will likely be elevated.
The Bengals are entering their bye week this week, which gives Turner an extra week to recover. In the meantime, expect Newton to take over as a starter for the first time in his career.
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