DJ Turner and Jordan Battle will likely play relatively significant roles in the Cincinnati Bengals’ secondary as rookies. Turner has outside-in versatility, and Battle is an NFL-ready processor. Drafting the Michigan and Alabama rookies has continued a trend for Cincinnati over the past two seasons. And the Bengals deserve credit for the selections.
The best NFL teams do not simply draft for their immediate needs. The Philadelphia Eagles have built a powerhouse while finding ways to draft eventual replacements for high-level starters on the offensive and defensive lines. The Bengals did exactly that with their secondary when they drafted Daxton Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt a season ago.
This season, they did it with Turner and Battle.
Bengals Brass Deserves Credit for DJ Turner and Jordan Battle Selections
Safety and cornerback weren’t immediate needs for the Bengals (although CB became one when Chidobe Awuzie was lost for the season due to injury). Cincinnati never dreamed of retaining Jessie Bates III at the price they’d have to pay for him. They drafted his eventual replacement a season ago in Dax Hill, a do-it-all safety type with experience in the slot and on the back end for Michigan.
Awuzie is in the final year of his three-year deal, and Eli Apple is no longer a Bengal. However, Awuzie is coming off a torn ACL, and every injury is different. But he’s eyeing a return before Week 1 arrives.
“Hopefully, it’s not telling me I’m gonna have one in the future, but everything’s been moving steadily. You know, maybe I gotta thank my parents for my genes or something or the food that they fed me, but you know, I’m doing pretty good,” Awuzie said.
Let’s get the elephant in the room addressed. Many Bengals fans seemed to vehemently disagree with the Battle selection, and even local beat reporters were surprised by the selection. But why?
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Nick Scott signed a three-year deal with $3 million in guarantees. They could literally cut him after June 1 and save money against the cap. His addition does nothing to stop someone else from joining the roster and immediately usurping him.
But even more than simply placing starters on a depth chart, the addition of Battle gives the Bengals options. If Mike Hilton goes down, Hill can insert into the slot while Battle and Scott man the back end of Lou Anarumo’s defense.
It also allows Anarumo to move Hill around with both Scott and Battle on the field, given how physical Hill can be as a run defender. Instead of sacrificing coverage ability with three linebackers on the field, Anarumo could play with a big nickel personnel utilizing three safeties.
He was as much of a no-brainer pick as Turner was the round prior to Battle. And head coach Zac Taylor was excited about the selection.
“Another Michigan DB to add to the mix here,” Taylor told reporters during a draft press conference. “Excited to add him. We feel like we needed to add depth there in the secondary, and he’s a guy that can come in and really compete at multiple roles for us. He can provide depth outside and inside.”
Turner was under-scouted on the media side of things throughout the process. He ranked 67th on PFN’s Consensus Big Board, even though his talent oozed off the monitor during his evaluation.
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He got beat up in contested situations by Marvin Harrison Jr. against Ohio State, and some believed he couldn’t play on the outside because of it. But the 6-foot-3 Ohio State receiver dunked on everyone’s head as a sophomore. That wasn’t because Turner is only 5-foot-11, but because Harrison is that dude.
Turner’s 4.26 40-yard dash wasn’t track speed. His reactive athleticism and pure explosiveness were evident every time one tuned into a Michigan game.
Coverage is king in the NFL, and the Bengals brass clearly understands that. They also understand that injuries are a part of this game, and depth in the secondary is not a luxury but a necessity at the NFL level.
We’ve seen what the Bengals coaching staff can squeeze from the likes of Awuizie and Apple. Now, they’re spending premium capital on high-end athletes that they get to coach from the ground up. It’s hard to imagine this staff being unable to once again get the most out of the pieces they’ve acquired.
That would make a defense that has been the catalyst for consecutive conference championships even more dangerous.
