Film Room: DJ Turner showing flashes

Rookie cornerback DJ Turner has made a pretty smooth transition to the NFL and has played a large role as a rotational player on the Cincinnati Bengals defense.

Let’s take a look at a couple of big plays Turner made this weekend.

Cornerback tackling does not always get talked about, but it is vital to success in the NFL.

With no receiver split out wide in Arizona’s formation, Turner lines up tight to the formation. He stays tight as he comes up to play the run, but as James Connor bounces out wide, Turner adjusts his angle and brings him down for a short gain.

This was an amazing play.

Of course, being able to defend the pass is even more important for a cornerback.

In this clip, the receiver sees quarterback Josh Dobbs start to scramble and adjusts his route, to get into Dobbs’s field of vision. He gets a couple of steps on Turner, but the rookie cornerback shows off his make-up speed. Not only does he catch up; he undercuts the route and makes a play on the ball.

This was a huge play by Turner to prevent a potential touchdown. Turner has had many impressive flashes early in his rookie season. If he can be consistent when he is called upon to be a full-time starter, he could be one of the best cornerbacks in the league.