With the Cincinnati Bengals ready to kick off their season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that will bring an end to this year’s offseason.
It was an eventful offseason for the Cincinnati Bengals, as they were aggressive with their free agency signings and pulled off a blockbuster trade for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence.
However, there were still some things that Cincinnati could have addressed, but have apparently opted not to. Among those things was the contract situation of cornerback DJ Turner.
Cincinnati Bengals’ DJ Turner Contract Update
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler gave an update on Cincinnati potentially agreeing to a contract extension with DJ Turner. Fowler wrote: “Like Porter, Turner is an underrated cover man out of the AFC North. But this deal has virtually no chance to get done before Week 1, barring a massive and unexpected uptick. It isn’t close, and Turner is poised to play out his rookie deal.
If Cincinnati follows its own blueprint, it will franchise-tag Turner as it did with another star defensive back, Jessie Bates III, in 2022. Bates had to play on the tag, before reaching a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
Turner will be in line for a large payday in free agency, if he reaches it. But the franchise tag is a real possibility here.”
Unfortunately, it appears that Turner’s contract situation will not be resolved before the season opener.
Regarding why he may be entitled to an extension, Bengals Wire’s Duncan Day wrote: “Turner boosted his case for a noteworthy second contract with a breakout 2025 season. The 2023 second-round pick started 16 of 17 games and recorded 18 passes defensed, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.”
Cincinnati Bengals’ Huge Mistake
A to Z Sports’ John Sheeran believes the Cincinnati Bengals not extending Turner now would be a “huge mistake.” Sheeran wrote: “The Bengals have had a great off-season in 2026. Failing to lock in their top defensive back for the next handful of years would be a poor way to end it.
Turner has successfully developed into exactly what the franchise envisioned he could be. He produced Pro Bowl-caliber tape and production last year, but was denied the honor because the rest of Cincy’s defense was horrid around him.
The game has changed since the days of Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman, but there’s still immense value in having a lockdown corner going up against the opponent’s top receiver every single week. As with any position, the price always go up the longer you wait, and the market value for top corners has gone up tremendously this year. That could also increase the franchise tag amount for next year if the club goes that route with Turner.
It should be a no-brainer for the Bengals to lock-in their guy in Turner, unless there’s a logical reason why both sides are far apart.”
Last season, Turner received a top-20 cornerback grade from Pro Football Focus. While he struggled in run defense, Turner was sixth-best in the league in pass coverage, according to PFF.
Bengals on the Verge of ‘Huge Mistake’ Before Week 1