CINCINNATI — The Bengals will be without another starting cornerback for the foreseeable future.
Second-year player DJ Turner II was placed on injured reserve Tuesday after he suffered a broken clavicle in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Turner will miss at least the next four games by going on IR, but it is too early to say whether the injury will be season-ending.
“I wouldn’t say he’s 100 percent done for the year,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “But it’s something you’ve got to let sit and heal.”
That means the Bengals (4-7) are down two potential starting outside cornerbacks. Dax Hill, who beat Turner out for a starting spot in training camp, has been sidelined since suffering a torn ACL in the team’s Week 5 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The latest setback makes Cincinnati’s cornerback situation a bit less complicated than it was about to become. Cam Taylor-Britt, who began the year as the unquestioned top cornerback on the roster, was benched in Sunday’s loss after he gave up a touchdown. When Turner got injured in the third quarter, Taylor-Britt was reinserted opposite rookie Josh Newton.
Turner, a 2023 second-round pick out of Michigan, was in the midst of perhaps his best game with the Bengals until the injury, according to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Newton and Turner could have been the starting options alongside slot cornerback Mike Hilton for the team’s next game, Anarumo added.
“Who knows?” Anarumo said when posed with that scenario. “But DJ is hurt now, so that’s kind of where we’re at.”
Taylor and Anarumo were both still bullish on Taylor-Britt regaining his form despite a season that has been marked by inconsistent play, not only from him but from the entire defense.
“I don’t ever throw in the towel, especially on a guy like that [who] has had success,” Anarumo said. “Sometimes you don’t know what’s going on inside a guy’s head. But Cam is about the right stuff.”
The Bengals filled their open roster spot by claiming cornerback Marco Wilson off waivers from the New England Patriots on Tuesday.
