Bengals starter receives extra motivation he didn’t need as he’s already playing at a Pro Bowl level
Bengals CB DJ Turner II knows he’s being disrespected.
Voting for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games began last week, and three Cincinnati Bengals are among the top 10 vote-getters at their positions.
Cornerback DJ Turner II is not one of them, and that caught his eyes (or at least one of them) Monday.
Turner has started 11 of the Bengals’ 12 games this year, but this is not a random starter wrongfully calling out his exclusion from Pro Bowl voting. He should not only be among the top 10 for corners, but near the top of that list as well.
DJ Turner is right to note his absence in Pro Bowl voting
There simply aren’t 10 corners that have played better football than Turner has this year. He leads all players in passes defensed with 16, has two interceptions, and the second-best coverage grade according to Pro Football Focus (82.2) among corners who’ve played at least half the season along with the 11th-best passer rating allowed in coverage (73.9) in that group of 76.
When the ball comes his way, there’s been a greater chance it falls incomplete than into the hands of the intended receiver. When it doesn’t come his way, it’s because his coverage has been too good to test.
Turner has been doing this all year, going back to Week 1 when he secured a game-winning interception against the Cleveland Browns and his future teammate Joe Flacco. Despite Cincinnati’s notable struggles on defense, he’s been shining, and now has more reason to continue his high-level play.
Turner now has bulletin board material for the rest of the season
Making the Pro Bowl would be a huge accomplishment for Turner, who missed several games last year due a season-ending shoulder injury. He wasn’t even guaranteed a starting job this season and started the year coming off the bench. He won’t be seeing the sidelines anytime soon with the way he’s playing.
Motivation has not been in short supply for the former second-round pick, and he’s covering like he’s never done so before. Now he has even more fuel to pour on his fire as voters are overlooking his great season.
Turner now knows, and opposing quarterbacks should be on alert.