DJ Turner and Dax Hill, the outside cornerback duo who have the chance to be the strength of the entire Cincinnati Bengals’ defense, are a duo that has only been together for seven games.
When the 2025 season started, Turner was a backup and Hill was a slot corner. Neither were quite sure where they stood. A lot has changed for each of them over the last twelve months.
“This is the first year we’re in a groove,” Turner said. “It’s always been a ‘who was going to do what’ type of thing. Now, we can hit the ground running.”
They’ve developed into the best outside corner duo that Zac Taylor has had during his tenure coaching the Bengals. Turner was a Pro Bowl snub last year, going unrecognized for a ridiculous number of pass breakups in a year where Turner often shadowed opposing No. 1 receivers.
Entering Week 18, NFL Next Gen Stats shared the stat that Turner has made a play on the ball on the second-highest percentage of targets among cornerbacks in the entire NFL (28.6%), and he was also being targeted at the sixth-lowest rate among cornerbacks with at least 250 snaps in coverage.
Over the last two months of the 2025 season, once Hill moved from the slot to outside corner, he was just as good if not better than Turner. In his seven games at outside corner, Hill never allowed more than three catches or 40 receiving yards in an entire game.
“We feed off each other,” Hill said. “What he brings to the table, how he has grown over the last year, he’s just hitting that mark. It lights the fire under me to almost one-up him. That’s the healthy competition that we have. I’m excited for both of us this year.”
The development of Hill and Turner as a duo was one of the most important reasons why the defense showed progress during the second half of the season. Al Golden started dialing up more blitzes, using more complex wrinkles in the playbook and sending different types of pressures. The defensive coordinator got to be more aggressive because he had outside cornerbacks he could count on, and Golden called a lot more man defense down the stretch in 2025.
The Bengals’ defensive line is the most improved unit on the team entering 2026 with Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe and Cashius Howell in the fold. Rush and coverage work together, and the pass rush and the cornerbacks should each make the other’s lives easier.
Hill and Turner are at an exciting place in their careers. They’re both 25 years old. They’re both in contract years and are already eligible for extensions. They each made the leap in 2025, and now they get to take that next step on a defense that should be much better as a whole.
“(Last year) was just my little toe in the water,” Turner said. “That’s nothing. I’ve got a whole game to unlock. There’s a lot left.”
When asked about goals for the season, Turner and Hill each mention Pro Bowl and All-Pro status. They each have the talent to get there.
“I expect Pro Bowl or All-Pro for both of them,” slot corner Jalen Davis said.
Turner said about Hill, “Corner is a position that can’t just be thrown out there. Dax is one of one. I’ve been saying this since his rookie year. Nobody in the NFL can do what Dax can do. Nobody. He has played literally every position in the secondary in the NFL. Nobody in the league can do that.”
Turner and Hill are indispensable pieces of the puzzle. My biggest concern with the defense is what happens if either one of them gets hurt. The Bengals backup outside corners are Tacario Davis (a raw player with a ton of room to develop), Josh Newton (had one of the most disappointing 2025 seasons on the team and barely played down the stretch) and DJ Ivey (a tight end stopper).
The cornerback depth gets really thin, really fast. And if you have a prime target at cornerback for quarterbacks to pick on, there’s not much you can do to make up for that.
If the Bengals’ defense clicks in 2026, you’ll see Turner and Hill making that next leap, forcing turnovers, locking down great receivers and solidifying their position as one of the best outside corner duos in the league.
The 2022 Bengals’ defense was as good as it gets. During the first half of that season, before he got hurt, Chidobe Awuzie was a perfect example of the impact that an All-Pro caliber cornerback can make on an entire defense.
“If you have a top corner, it can change the whole energy and vibe of the team,” Turner said.
The Bengals hope that they have two of them.
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