The 2023 second-round draft pick was defending a deep ball from Justin Herbert intended for Quinton Johnston on a play that might have enabled the hosts to regain a 14-point lead. Two plays later, Herbert lost a fumble that set up the game-tying touchdown drive for the Bengals’ offense in a comeback from a 21-point deficit.
“It’s a timing thing,” Taylor said Tuesday. “I wouldn’t say he’s 100 percent done for the year, but it’s something you’ve got to let sit and heal, and we’ll put him on IR at some point and then just see how it heals after that. But potential for return, but again, I think it’s too early to tell that.”
Cincinnati is on a bye this week, so there is some extra time to bring in reinforcements if possible. Taylor said he and team officials are “discussing all the options.” Former Dolphins cornerback and free agent Xavien Howard came for a workout last week but the parties could not come to an agreement on a contract.
Later Tuesday, the Bengals acquired cornerback Marco WIlson on waivers from the New England Patriots. Wilson, a fourth-year player out of the University of Florida, was a fourth-round draft pick of Arizona in 2021. Between Arizona and New England, Wilson has played in 54 games (including 37 starts) and totaled 174 tackles and three interceptions. He was waived by the Patriots on Monday.
In recent weeks, Turner had established himself as the team’s most consistent cornerback while Cam Taylor-Britt has taken significant steps backward from what looked like a potential Pro Bowl campaign in 2023 before an injury impacted him in the second half of the season. Turner had played in all 11 games to this point, making six starts in Hill’s spot after he had just begun to rotate more with Taylor-Britt. Pro Football Focus had him at a 67.8 defensive grade – up from a 51.5 in 2023.
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said he thought Turner was playing the best game of his career Sunday before the injury. He also started 12 games last year as a rookie but struggled at the end of the season and lost the competition against Hill for the No. 2 cornerback spot, opposite Taylor-Britt.
Now Cincinnati will be hoping Taylor-Britt gets back on track and rookie Josh Newton continues to develop. Newton replaced Taylor-Britt after he moved out of his zone coverage on Quinton Johnston’s 26-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Anarumo and Taylor thought Newton played well and that Taylor-Britt handled his benching in a positive manner.
“With Cam, things that he shouldn’t make a mistake on, that led to putting Josh in there, and the good news about that was Josh came in and competed at a high level,” Anarumo said. “He made some plays on the ball in some critical situations. The first two-minute stop was a great play on an over route. That’s a hard thing for a DB in Cover 1. So, I was pleased to see that. And he got his hands on some balls. He was tight in coverage even when they caught it. That was the good news about that.
“I will say this for Cam: on the sideline he was great after we did it, cheering his teammates on. And then when he had to come back in because of DJ’s injury -- I thought DJ was maybe having his best game as a Bengal; unfortunately he gets hurt -- Cam came back in and did well. His mind was in the right place. If he was over there pouting, it would have been a disaster. Because I’ve seen that side of it. Not from Cam, but from some other guys in the past. We’re gonna need him now, again. He’s gotta get back to being Cam.”
The bye week allows the Bengals a chance to re-set in light of Turner’s injury, but also comes at a good time for the team to mentally and physically recover.
Taylor said B.J. Hill fought through pain to try to help his team with Sheldon Rankins already out because of illness.
“B.J. fought through it,” Taylor said. “You could see a couple times he was down there. He knew we needed him. We had four D-tackles at that point in the game, with Sheldon (out). And so, I was really impressed by B.J., really thankful, really. It took a lot for him to continue to get through that, so I thought he did. The bye week comes at a really good time for him. Thought Tee (Higgins) came out well as well.”
Higgins made his return from a three-game absence due to a quad injury and finished with nine catches for 148 yards and a touchdown.
Rankins was inactive after an illness surfaced Sunday morning. Taylor said he had to get some tests to “get to the bottom of it,” but the veteran defensive tackle is “feeling much better” now.
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