Bengals' cornerback competition heats up with multiple players vying for first-team spots

Winnipeg Free Press

4 days ago

CINCINNATI (AP) — At Bengals training camp, no position has had more players rotating through with the first-team unit than the cornerback spot.
'I wouldn't read anything these first couple of weeks into who's lining up with who, because oftentimes it's so fluid with us at 9:52 a.m. before a 10 o'clock practice,' coach Zac Taylor said. 'That's just part of training camp. There's plenty of time for a bunch of these battles to shake out.'
Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill and DJ Turner were the starters for most of last season. With Taylor-Britt being managed a bit for precautionary reasons, Hill coming back from a torn ACL and Turner coming off of a subpar 2024 season, first-team snaps have been up for grabs.
Josh Newton is making a strong push for the starting slot cornerback spot, and DJ Ivey has impressed while getting regular reps with the first-team defense.
Taylor-Britt has been a starter for the Bengals since the middle of the 2022 season. While 2024 was the worst season of his career, he's simplifying his approach entering 2025 and has a fresh start with new defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Taylor-Britt went back to the drawing board during the offseason. He watched all of his bad plays.
'You can see my eyes,' Taylor-Britt said. 'You can see why the ball was caught. It was bad eyes. It wasn't technique or anything. I have to slow down at the line and be myself. Stay confident. Stay the same guy no matter what's going on.'
Hill moved from safety to cornerback entering the 2024 season, and he immediately impressed at his new position. But the former first-round pick tore his ACL in Week 5.
This year, he's a candidate to start at outside cornerback or in the slot, and he's the Bengals' most versatile defensive back.
'It's good for everyone to know different spots,' Hill said. 'At corner, it's a lot of mental. Knowing your matchup. Knowing the offense, that's the biggest thing at corner. Week-to-week at corner, there's a different mindset you have to go into the game with.'
Turner had been struggling in camp, running with the second-team defense and regularly allowing receptions until last Thursday. Then during that practice, he astoundingly recorded five pass breakups, including highlight plays against Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Turner has always shown great athleticism and the ability to track receivers down the field. The next step for him is making more plays on the ball when quarterbacks challenge him down the field.
'It's just football,' Turner said. 'There are big names here. Joe Burrow. Ja'Marr. Trey. Big names. You have to look at it as normal people and just play football. You're here for a reason, too. It's just the mental aspect of going against people you watched growing up.'
Newton, the Bengals' fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, made six starts last year after Turner's season-ending shoulder injury. His intensity, tackling ability and physicality in coverage have really been on display during a very strong training camp for him. He's consistently running with the first-team defense.
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'We have the biggest question mark (in the secondary),' Newton said. 'It's an honor to have that question mark because we have a pencil ready to answer it.'
Ivey was one of the best tight end stoppers in the NFL last season and regularly played on third downs. He has great size for the cornerback position and has been getting plenty of opportunities to develop as a true outside cornerback with the first-team defense.
'I think growth is a good word (for him),' Taylor said. 'DJ continues to ascend in a lot of areas on defense and special teams, and I'm excited to watch him continue to compete in training camp. He's a guy who is a joy to be around. I like what he's about.'
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