Corner Competition
Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who took Pro Bowl wide receiver D.K Metcalf out of a game two years ago, had to watch DJ Turner II do it Thursday night while he was on the bench in sweats.
Inactive for the first time since his 2022 rookie year, Taylor-Britt manned up and helped talk Turner through holding Metcalf to three targets, via Pro Football Focus. The one catch for 39 yards came basically in the first minute of the game on a bomb down the left sideline.
"I told him stop fighting with him," said Taylor-Britt on Monday, knowing how physical the 6-4 Metcalf likes it. "He does those moves because he's strong as hell. But that doesn't make you a good receiver."
The appreciative Turner couldn't say enough about his friend. Maybe doubly appreciative, knowing how much CTB was hurting.
"I love him to death. You couldn't ask to have a better teammate than him," Turner said. "It was like he was out there. He gives off so much energy. He was giving pointers to everybody."
The nation saw Thursday what the Bengals have known for the last month. Turner is playing at an elite level.
He ripped such a momentous interception from those monstrous hands as Metcalf went out-of-bounds that defensive coordinator Al Golden, Taylor's oldest assistant coach, said, "That's one of the best interceptions I've seen in my career," and the officials were confused before they had to give it to him.
(Huge play with 40 seconds left in the half and gave them an Evan McPherson walk-off field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.)
Plus, Turner had two more passes defensed to add to his league-leading total of 13. Like this one:
"When he's coming around the tight end and knocks the ball free, but it's really not even a pass deflection," Taylor said. "It's almost trying to force a fumble. The guy was catching the ball. So just the little details that Al and his staff have been preaching over and over and over."
Turner says it's pretty much mind over matter.
"I have the same size and speed when I came in. It's not like I got faster," said Turner, the fastest man at the 2023 NFL scouting combine in a 4.26-second 40-yard dash. "Just mentally better. I do a lot of mental preparation."
After Turner came on late in training camp, Taylor broke the news to him that he wasn't starting the opener. Competition. It turned out to be Taylor-Britt's last start.
"Competition," Turner said. "That's the way it should be."
Taylor loved Taylor's response when he told him the news seven weeks ago.
"He said, 'Bet. Hey, I'll go out there and I'm going to get it back.' And I said, 'Great,'" Taylor said. "And he said, 'Just promise me if I work at it, that I'll have the opportunity.' He's had the opportunity, and all he's done is stand on his word.
"And he's gone out there and worked, and he's been a tremendous example of leadership and working in practice and doing all the detailed stuff we just preach. "
Cornerbacks coach Charles Burks says Turner cares deeply about being regarded the best in the game. "If you don't want to be the best in your profession, I don't know what you're doing," Turner said Monday. And he's not ready to declare himself All-Pro.
"I have to do it for a whole season. We have to find out," Turner said. "Next week, I've got the Jets."
As for Taylor-Britt, he plans to do what Turner did seven weeks ago and get back in it. He said after talking to Taylor and Golden, there have been words such as "discipline," and "consistency," when it comes to his game on the field.
But as he strives to get back, he says, he'll be there for his mates.
"It's not hard at all," Taylor-Britt said. "You want to be there for your brothers."