The Cincinnati Bengals made a notable change to their injury report Thursday, adding DJ Turner as Week 1 gets closer.
Turner, who played like a top corner last season, showed up with a hamstring issue and was listed as limited in practice. That’s not exactly the kind of update Cincinnati wanted with the opener looming, especially with Turner set to draw the assignment of covering second year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who had a hot start to last season.
There’s also the larger backdrop around Turner’s career, which has included a few injury battles already. So while the practice designation wasn’t a full setback, it was still a situation worth watching for a player the Bengals need on the field right away.
Elsewhere around the Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase is already stacking milestones before the season even begins. Eleven catches give him 531 in his career, moving him past Carl Pickens into third place on the Bengals all-time list behind Chad Johnson and A.J.
Green. He also needs 265 yards to pass Pickens and Bengals Ring of Honor member Isaac Curtis to move into third behind Johnson and Green, and 13 touchdown catches would give him the franchise record by breaking Johnson’s 66.
That kind of climb is a reminder of how loaded the Bengals have been at receiver. Johnson, Green and now Chase have each taken turns stressing NFL defenses since the turn of the millennia, and Pickens and Curtis are part of a list that shows just how spoiled Cincinnati fans have been at the position.
Chase also had a moment of his own off the field when he learned the Bengals’ Week 1 start time against the Buccaneers. “I’m finding out the game is at 1 o’clock, I do not like that,” he said.
“To be honest, I do not like playing in 1 o’clock games. So that means I have to wake up a little earlier than usual.”
That’s exactly the kind of quote that explains why the Bengals give him his own press conference. Chase is as entertaining as he is dangerous.
There was also plenty of buzz around Cashius Howell and the Bengals’ summer developments on defense. Defensive coordinator Al Golden put it plainly: “Hitting on Cashius,” defensive coordinator Al Golden began, “I can’t underscore how important that is because he’s come through for us in terms of his intellect, his work ethic, his ability to process, and his learning curve.”
That kind of praise fits with the broader sense that Cincinnati spent the summer attacking the defensive line. Last season, the pass rush often looked like it would be lucky to get home at all. This year, the hope is that quarterbacks will be the ones making mistakes.
Around the league, Week 1 already delivered the usual chaos. Zach Wilson once led a comeback win over the Buffalo Bills after Aaron Rodgers went down almost immediately, and the Los Angeles Rams getting knocked down a peg was a good reminder that being labeled a super team means nothing once the games start. Injuries were part of that same ugly reality, too, with Darnold going down early in a moment that shook the league before easing up on the severity.
And yes, some preseason expectations already looked shaky. Putting Drake Maye in Tier 1 with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford did not age well, while Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott were left in Tier 2. That’s the kind of list that will be worth revisiting soon enough.
In Other News...
Cashius Howell Is Suddenly At Center Of Bengals Defensive Hype
Cashius Howell has quickly become one of the most talked-about names around the Bengals defense, and it is easy to see why. Cincinnati used the draft to reshape its front, dealing away its first-round pick to the Giants for Dexter Lawrence before spending its second-round selection on the Texas A&M edge rusher, who arrived with plenty of momentum after being named the 2025 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American.
The early buzz has only gotten louder since then, with CBS Sports analyst John Breech going so far as to project Howell as the 2026 Defensive Rookie of the Year and the Bengals as a playoff team. For a defense looking for impact players who can change the conversation, Howell is already being treated like much more than a mid-round addition, even if the real answer about how fast he can tilt games in Cincinnati still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Have An Unexpected New Injury Concern Before Week 1
Week 1 practice brought one of those early-season reminders that the Bengals depth will be tested before the games even count. DJ Turner II showed up on the injury report with a hamstring issue and was limited, while JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins were both back to full participation as they continue working through their own recoveries. For a team trying to build rhythm right away, getting its top receivers on the field matters, but the attention shifted quickly to the new concern in the secondary.
Zac Taylor also spent time updating the status of several players while talking through the bigger picture of continuity and situational football as the season opener approaches. Those are the kinds of details that tend to matter more once the first kickoff arrives, especially for a Bengals team hoping to avoid any early disruption in a unit that needs all its pieces ready. For now, the key question is how much Turners hamstring affects the week ahead and whether it lingers past the initial practice report. [Read more 🡒]
Ja'Marr Chase Sent Bengals Fans An Encouraging Message Before Sunday
Ja'Marr Chases return to full participation in practice comes with a little extra reassurance for Bengals fans who watched him deal with a minor knee hyperextension last month. Entering the 2026 season, the star receiver said he feels fully healthy again, and he struck a confident tone about both his body and the energy around the team as preparations move toward opening weekend.
The timing of the schedule is one thing Chase clearly did not hide his opinion on, since he said he would rather not be dealing with 1 p.m. starts. But the bigger takeaway for Cincinnati is simpler: its top pass-catching threat sounds ready to go, and after a brief scare in the summer, that is the sort of update that matters most this time of year. [Read more 🡒]