DJ Turner is in the final year of his Cincinnati Bengals contract. His 4-year $6.16 million contract will expire soon, and his team is actively negotiating a new deal. But before that can materialize, the cornerback has commented on the new look the 2026 defense unit has.

Recently, the Bengals had their OTAs, and Turner was looking forward to working out with the new bunch.

"We did add a whole bunch of players on our side of the ball, and it’s just exciting, honestly," said Turner. " Everybody wants to win. I was the last one here. This was my second day, and I could tell everybody was just on the same page, wanting to work, wanting to win. That’s what it all comes down to, those two things.”

According to the Over the Cap website, the Bengals this year have spent exactly $142,398,960 on their defense. This amount was higher than their 2025 expenditure on their defensive unit ($90,649,651)

The spending was made to add players in areas where they struggled, i.e., their defense. The Bengals finished last in the league with a 32nd overall ranking in defense.

The unit allowed a massive 28.9 points per game and ranked dead-last in both total defense and run defense. However, Turner now won't have to worry about that.

New additions like Dexter Lawrence (DT), Jonathan Allen (DT), Boye Mafe (DE), Bryan Cook (Safety), and others have reinforced the team considerably.

Turner now has a lot of players on the defense to link up with. Now the question remains about Turner's new contract, and NFL insider Steve Palazzolo thinks Turner will get heavily paid on his new deal.

NFL Insider Feels DJ Turner Will Get a Strong New Bengals Contract

DJ Turner had an excellent season with the Bengals in 2025. He recorded 40 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 18 passes defended, and 2 forced fumbles. That is certainly enough to get him a good new contract.

Palazzolo recently addressed the matter on a recent episode of Check The Mic

"You can make the argument that last year was the breakout for DJ Turner. He’s about to get paid. And I think his camp might be making arguments that he should be making top-five cornerback money," said Palazzolo

The analyst strongly believes Turner has every opportunity to reach new heights courtesy of his athleticism.

"When we look back at the Bengals, who I’m going to be optimistic about again, Dexter Lawrence coming in, but DJ Turner is going to be a big part of that optimism as well," concluded Palazzolo.

So if the Bengals corner is listening to Palazzolo's advice, they need to rope him in fast. Or else he might get snatched away by a rival.

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Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote