Taylor-Britt, a second-round draft pick last year, started the final 10 games of the 2022 season and now is the penciled in to remain a starter in Year 2 with the departure of Eli Apple, who signed last week to play for the Miami Dolphins.
Awuzie, who tore his ACL on Oct. 31, was cleared for the start of training camp but the Bengals are easing him in with individual position drills before inserting him into 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s. Meanwhile, Turner and Sydney Jones IV have both gotten reps in his place, and Taylor-Britt said it’s a good time for Turner to take advantage and really grow as a rookie.
“You’ve just got to be ready for anything, especially in the NFL -- next man up,” Taylor-Britt said when asked about his own opportunities. “Somebody goes down, you have to play a role and it shouldn’t be a downfall. That’s one thing I didn’t want to be a downfall, so I just wanted to put my best foot forward, get on the older guys and just learn and learn.”
Turner was the Bengals’ second-round draft pick this year, out of Michigan, and he’s already had some highlight-reel moments in the first week of training camp.
He nearly had an interception against Andrei Iosivas on a deep ball from Trevor Siemian with the second-teamers on Friday and another one against Ja’Marr Chase on Saturday when Siemian was running the first-team offense. On Thursday, he had two pass breakups in 11-on-11s.
“It’s great, but there’s still a lot of work to be done, so that’s really how I’m looking at it and just trying to make every play that comes to me,” Turner said.
Turner said he went back and studied the film from his near interception Friday and watched it back several times to see what he could have done better. The Bengals defense puts a heavy emphasis on “finishing plays,” and a pick can be a “game-changer,” so Turner said he was mad he didn’t hold onto the ball. He slammed the ground after the ball popped out of his grasp.
On Saturday, his first experience against receivers like Chase was an even greater learning experience, he said.
“You’re not going to see better in games, so that’s the best I’m going to see and it helps for sure,” Turner said.
Asked if he likes that kind of competition, he said “100 percent.”
“You have to,” he said. “If you don’t want that, you won’t survive in this league. I feel like it’s definitely a great thing.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Turner has been re-affirming what the organization thought of him when making the decision to draft him in the second round. They knew Awuzie was making good progress in his rehab at that time, but with Apple not re-signed in free agency, they needed to add another body into the mix.
Turner is a speedy cornerback with good mechanics and brings versatility as someone who could also play the nickel corner spot eventually. So far, the need has just been on the outside.
“We had a high opinion of him, thought he could fit us in several different ways,” Taylor said. “I think (secondary coach) Chuck Burks has done a great job since he’s been here of continuing to fine-tune the mechanics of how we want to play corner here. I think that has meshed really well and we have great veteran players in the room as well that are always lending support. I think we have a player who is willing to do what it takes and have a lot of people around him that are willing to try to get the most out of him.”
Turner said he’s enjoying his NFL introduction so far and “trying to earn respect” of his teammates. He said the entire secondary has been helpful in providing him feedback and helping him settle in, and he’s “accepting knowledge from wherever it comes.”
The receivers also have been trying to help him out, passing on some tips of what he could do better.
“They are definitely accepting me, bringing me in, trying to help me out in every way they can, and I’m just trying to accept knowledge and keep going,” Turner said.
Taylor said while Turner has been impressive early in camp, the key will be for him to keep it up over a longer period of time. Awuzie’s expected return likely will decrease his opportunities with the first-team defense in the near future, but as Taylor-Britt learned, he could be called upon at anytime.
Turner plans to be ready, but the tests are just beginning.
“As the install increases, more things are thrown at them on offense,” Taylor said. “I’m sure there will be a learning curve there. But again, through (the first few) days, I think he has been impressive. It’s one thing to do it three days, it’s another thing to do it three weeks, it’s another thing to do it three months. With all these young players, it’s the consistency over time that will be critical for them.”
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