DJ Turner II

3 seasons in Cincinnati: 86 total tackles, 33 pass defenses, and a coverage breakout in 2025.

The 2nd-round pick from Michigan in 2023 has progressed steadily as a corner: 7 PDs as a rookie, 8 in 10 games as a sophomore, 18 in 2025. The growth in pass-defense rate is the headline — from 0.44 PD/game as a rookie to 1.13 PD/game in 2025.

18 pass defenses in 2025 — a Bengals-leading total and a top-tier CB coverage number league-wide.

Turner's 18 pass defenses in 2025 is the kind of number that puts a corner in the elite-coverage conversation. Across all positions, single-season PD totals north of 15 are rare; for a 3rd-year CB still developing, this represents a clear breakout.

Paired with 2 forced fumbles (career-first), 2025 is the year Turner became a playmaker, not just a coverage piece. He averaged 1.13 PDs per game — meaning the ball was being thrown his way and contested often.

Career trajectory: from 0.44 PDs/game (rookie) to 1.13 PDs/game (Year 3) — coverage volume nearly tripled.

Turner's tackle rate dropped from 2.3/game (rookie) to 1.63/game (2025) — which is actually a good sign for a corner. Fewer tackles means receivers aren't catching the ball in front of him as often.

Meanwhile his PD rate climbed from 0.44 to 1.13 per game — the trajectory of a corner who's learning to play the ball in the air.

No interceptions yet — all the coverage, none of the takeaways.

Despite 33 career pass defenses across 3 seasons, Turner has 0 interceptions in his career. That's the developmental gap to bridge: he's contesting throws at an elite rate but hasn't converted any to picks.

This isn't unprecedented — plenty of high-end corners take 2-3 years before their first INT — but it's the line item to watch in 2026. The PDs say he's in position; the ball just hasn't found his hands yet.

Career: 86 tackles, 33 PDs, 2 FFs in 42 games. The 2024 injury year cost him 7 games but didn't dent the trajectory.

The 2024 season was injury-shortened (10 games), but Turner still posted 8 PDs — actually a higher per-game rate than his rookie season. He returned in 2025 healthy and delivered his breakout.

Career line through age 25: 86 tackles, 5 TFL, 33 PDs, 2 FF, 0 INT in 42 games. The 33 PDs in just 42 games is the standout number — that's roughly 0.79 PDs per game, which would extrapolate to ~13 PDs over a full 17-game season every year of his career so far.