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Ben Baby, ESPN Staff Writer
CINCINNATI — The Bengals will be without another starting cornerback for the foreseeable future.
Second-year player DJ Turner II is expected to go on injured reserve after he suffered a broken clavicle in last Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, coach Zac Taylor said Tuesday. However, it is too early to say whether or not it will be a season-ending injury.
“I wouldn’t say he’s 100% done for the year,” Taylor said. “But it’s something you’ve got to let sit and heal.”
That means the Bengals (4-7) are now down two potential starting outside cornerbacks. Dax Hill, who beat Turner out for a starting spot in training camp, has been sidelined after suffering a torn ACL in the team’s Week 5 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
In some ways, it makes Cincinnati’s cornerback situation a bit less complicated than it was about to be. Cam Taylor-Britt, who began the year as the unquestioned top cornerback on the roster, was benched in the Week 10 loss against the Chargers after he gave up a touchdown. When Turner was injured in the third quarter, Taylor-Britt was reinserted into the game opposite rookie Josh Newton.
Turner, a former second-round pick out of Michigan, was in the midst of perhaps his best game with the Bengals until the injury, according to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Newton and Turner could have been the starting options alongside slot cornerback Mike Hilton for the team’s next game, Anarumo added.
“Who knows?” Anarumo said when posed with that scenario. “But DJ is hurt now, so that’s kind of where we’re at.”
Taylor and Anarumo were both still bullish on Taylor-Britt to regain his form despite a season that has been marked by inconsistent play, both from him and the entire defense that has struggled.
“I don’t ever throw in the towel, especially on a guy like that [who] has had success,” Anarumo said. “Sometimes you don’t know what’s going on inside a guy’s head. But Cam is about the right stuff.”