Bengals roster breakdown is back! During the 99 days leading up to Cincinnati’s regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns, the player with the matching jersey number as days remaining will become the day’s highlighted player.

20 days remain until the Bengals’ first game of the 2025 season, and we’re closing out the cornerback room with No. 20 DJ Turner II.

DJ Turner II

Age: 24
Year: 3rd
Position: Cornerback
College: Michigan
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 20

Turner enters his third season in the NFL and with the Bengals after being drafted 60th overall in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent four years at Michigan and started 28 of the 36 games he played in for the Wolverines. His first three years in Ann Arbor coincided with Dax Hill, the club’s 2022 first-round pick, and the two shared eight starts together in 2021.

Cincinnati rotated Turner onto the field during the first month of his rookie season in 2023 as Chidobe Awuzie was still coming back from a torn ACL. He eventually took over as a starter for 12 of the final 13 contests but saw his ball production drop despite seeing similar targets come his way in coverage as the year progressed.

Turner once again started the 2024 season on the bench after losing out to Hill in a training camp battle, but was called to action in Week 4 when Cam Taylor-Britt was benched mid-game. He played a large role the next seven weeks, including six starts, after Hill suffered a torn ACL, but a shoulder injury in Week 11 ended Turner’s season as well.

Contract Details

Turner is in the third year of his four-year, $6,160,040 rookie contract he signed back in 2023. He can earn a base salary of $1,310,004 this season, but his guaranteed money has already been exhausted from his deal. When adding on his signing bonus proration of $370,007, his salary cap hit for the 2025 season is $1,680,011.

Roster Outlook

Turner has never had a training camp in which he’s had a starting spot on lock, and this year has been no different. He’s been battling Josh Newton for the final starting gig to join Hill and Taylor-Britt, and despite having some rough moments to start the month, he’s likely the favorite to be out there as a Week 1 starter for the first time in his career.

Regardless if he opens the year as a starter or the first off the bench once more, history indicates Turner will play plenty this year. His skills as a man-cover corner in defensive coordinator Al Golden’s scheme should favor him as well. It’s just a matter of staying on the field like he did his rookie season.

Projected role: Stating cornerback

Previous Player Profiles

• No. 99: Myles Murphy
• No. 98: T.J. Slaton Jr.
• No. 97: Shemar Stewart
• No. 96: Cam Sample
• No. 95: Howard Cross III
• No. 94: Eric Gregory
• No. 93: McKinnley Jackson
• No. 92: B.J. Hill
• No. 91: Trey Hendrickson
• No. 90: Kris Jenkins Jr.
• No. 89: Drew Sample
• No. 88: Mike Gesicki
• No. 87: Tanner Hudson
• No. 86: Kole Taylor
• No. 85: Cam Grandy
• No. 84: Tanner McLachlan
• No. 83: Erick All Jr.
• No. 82: Mitchell Tinsley
• No. 81: Jermaine Burton
• No. 80: Andrei Iosivas
• No. 79: Andrew Coker
• No. 77: Caleb Etienne
• No. 76: Devin Cochran
• No. 75: Orlando Brown Jr.
• No. 74: Jalen Rivers
• No. 73: Andrew Stueber
• No. 71: Amarius Mims
• No. 69: Dante Barnett
• No. 68: Seth McLaughlin
• No. 67: Cordell Volson
• No. 66: Tashawn Manning
• No. 65: Matt Lee
• No. 64: Ted Karras
• No. 63: Dylan Fairchild
• No. 62: Lucas Patrick
• No. 61: Cody Ford
• No. 60: Jaxson Kirkland
• No. 59: Craig Young
• No. 58: Joseph Ossai
• No. 56: Raymond Johnson III
• No. 55: Logan Wilson
• No. 53: Joe Giles-Harris
• No. 52: Cedric Johnson
• No. 51: Isaiah Thomas
• No. 50: Shaka Heyward
• No. 49: Barrett Carter
• No. 48: Cal Adomitis
• No. 47: Shaquan Loyal
• No. 46: William Wagner
• No. 45: Maema Njongmeta
• No. 44: Demetrius Knight Jr.
• No. 43: Jaylen Key
• No. 42: Oren Burks
• No. 41: Nate Brooks
• No. 40: Quali Conley
• No. 39: Lance Robinson
• No. 38: DJ Ivey
• No. 37: PJ Jules
• No. 36: Kendall Milton
• No. 35: Jalen Davis
• No. 34: Samaje Perine
• No. 33: Daijahn Anthony
• No. 32: Gary Brightwell
• No. 30: Chase Brown
• No. 29: Cam Taylor-Britt
• No. 28: Josh Newton
• No. 27: Jordan Battle
• No. 26: Tycen Anderson
• No. 25: Tahj Brooks
• No. 24: Marco Wilson
• No. 23: Dax Hill
• No. 22: Geno Stone
• No. 21: Bralyn Lux

Cincinnati Bengals News

Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Dax Hill patiently working to come back at a position he knows well

Hill is over 10 months removed from his season-ending injury and ready to come back stronger.

John Sheeran

Be part of the A to Z Sports community and vote in our latest Cincinnati Bengals poll as the preseason gets underway.