Heading into his third season in the the league, cornerback DJ Turner II could potentially be in line for a starting spot in Cincinnati’s secondary.

Turner started 12 games as a rookie in 2023, but he began the 2024 season on the bench. After Dax Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury, Turner moved into a starting spot, but his own season was ultimately cut short due to a broken clavicle. But, there’s good news on that front.

“Oh yeah, I’m 100 percent,” Turner said of the injury, via KPRC. “I’m ready to go.”

DJ Turner II is back to full strength after season-ending clavicle injury

The Bengals finished the 2024 season strong, and after the moves they’ve made so far this offseason, Turner is feeling bullish about the Bengals heading into the ’25 season.

“Oh yeah, we feel good going into the year,” Turner said. “For sure, excited for it. Made some moves, we’re really excited going into this year.”

Turner should feel excited about the upcoming campaign, as there’s a big opportunity in front of him. It remains to be seen what new defensive coordinator Al Golden will want to do when it comes to cornerbacks, but everything should be on the table. In other words, Turner should have a chance to earn a starting spot over the offseason.

Guys like Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill and Josh Newton will also all be in the mix, but that’s where the competition comes in. At this point, no spot in the secondary should be set in stone in Cincinnati given how poorly the unit has performed over the past couple of years.

The Bengals didn’t make any major additions in free agency, so if they’re going to improve defensively, they’ll need two things to happen. They’ll need to nail some draft picks who can come in and contribute right away, and they’ll need some of the young players already on the roster to improve.

Turner falls into that second category, and the Bengals will indeed be counting on him to take a major step forward in 2025.