DJ Turner II owes old friend Chidobe Awuzie his No. 20 Bengals jersey after Sunday's game (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Local 12) against the Ravens at Paycor Stadium.

Turner had Awuzie's signed Ravens' No. 3 Ravens jersey draped on his locker room chair after the Bengals' 32-14 win in Baltimore Thanksgiving Night in a game both showed off their wares on the corner.

"Chido helped me so much. Just coming from college and being a pro and there are different levels to it," said Turner after practice Wednesday as he recalled that 2023 rookie season they were together in Cincinnati.

Awuzie, who had a Super Bowl interception for the Bengals, has resurfaced in his ninth NFL season in Baltimore, where he's having a solid year at age 30 with five starts and seven passes defensed.

In that loss two weeks ago to the Bengals, Pro Football Focus tabbed Awuzie as the Ravens' best coverage player as he battled old training camp foe Ja’Marr Chase to basically a draw. PFF had Awuzie, who also had two passes defensed, allowing Chase a mere two catches on four targets for 16 of the 110 yards he racked up in the game.

Turner, who leads the league with 17 passes defensed, was named PFF's second-highest Bengals' coverage player that night in Baltimore, where he knocked down a pass headed to wide receiver Zay Flowers and added a fumble recovery.

Turner was basically drafted to replace Awuzie, and he's on his way during a week his defensive coordinator is talking him up for the Pro Bowl.

"That was the biggest thing he was teaching me. He helped me on the field, but it was off-the-field he probably helped me the most," Turner said. "How to prepare your body for the game. He helped with me getting a routine. The stuff to look at, the stuff not to look at. Throw this out. Keep that. Showed me how to be a pro."

Turner says that mindset is still working for Awuzie. PFF agrees. It has Awuzie ranked ninth among NFL cornerbacks when it comes to coverage. Turner is eighth. What he admires about Awuzie's game is what he strives for the most in his own.

"He's consistent," Turner said.

Turner hasn't thought what he'll inscribe to Awuzie on his jersey. But for the old pro who helped teach him to be one, he says it will be along the lines of, "Thanks for all your help."

Optimistic Shemar "Expands Knowledge."

Wednesday found first-round pick Shemar Stewart practicing for the first time since he injured his knee against the Bears Nov. 2, and it looked good enough that he was listed as full. That bodes well for him to be activated off injured reserve in time to play against the Ravens.

After practice, Stewart said he's a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. He had the help of the bye, which gives him five weeks to come back.

He couldn't hide the frustration of his rookie year on the Bengals defensive front, where he was supposed to slide up and down into nearly every spot. But he's just coming off a four-game stint on IR after missing four games with an ankle injury when he was forced from his second game as a pro.

"Never missed game. Never missed a practice," said Stewart of his Texas A&M days. "Then, boom. Two long injuries in the same season. That could mess with your head a little bit. You just have to stay firm. Stay the course. It's football. Nothing is guaranteed."

Stewart has taken advantage of the lost time by filling it with the brain of defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery. Not preparing for a game plan the last month has allowed him to absorb things in the classroom and he believes he'll have a different approach in a game.

"Jerry always teaches us to expect what's coming and learn formations and what teams are really trying to do to us," Stewart said. "I feel like the five weeks have helped me expand my football knowledge."

Hometown Add

The Bengals didn't go very far to begin replacing wide receiver Jermaine Burton, cut on Monday, when they signed homegrown wide receiver Xavier Johnson to be on the practice squad. That could promote veteran Kendric Pryor for the game.

No vetting needed here.

Johnson, an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, is one of Cincinnati's great underdog stories from little Summit Country Day School, known more for track than football. A preferred walk-on at Ohio State, Johnson was awarded the Block O jersey when he was a senior, given to players who exude toughness, leadership, accountability, and hard work.

"It's a local guy who comes highly recommended from a character standpoint," said offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher.

Signed by the Bills after the 2024 draft, Johnson was cut by Buffalo before spending his entire rookie year on the Texans' practice squad. He's been in Houston looking for a job this season and was thrilled to get a call earlier this week from the Bengals at the gym where he was about to begin a workout.

"I always had the aspirations of putting on the helmet that had the stripes," said a beaming Johnson after practice Wednesday.

Even though Johnson grew up watching the A.J. Green-Andy Dalton Bengals, he's wearing Green's No. 18 by sheer coincidence. He didn't ask for it.

"That's what they gave me," said Johnson, who actually greeted Green at his high school while he was still playing with the Bengals. Green was looking for a preschool for his son in the late stages of his career in Cincinnati, and stopped by Country Day, where Johnson was a captain and showed him around.

The son of educators who lived on the West Side, Johnson admitted it was virtually unheard of when he went from west to east to play football at Summit.

"I drove by this stadium every day to go to school," Johnson said. "To be here now is surreal."

The last time he was here was for the 2024 local pro day just a week or so before the draft, and he did well enough that the Bengals kept in touch before and after the draft. There was interest on both sides, but that was the year the Bengals drafted Burton in the third round, and they were stacked with veteran wideouts. The thought was the numbers game was too big.

"But to even be here that day was surreal," Johnson said.

Now he's here practicing after a youth that included attending a session of the Anthony Munoz Football Camp at Sycamore. Another Bengals tie is the Block O he wore at Ohio State is given in honor of the late Bill Willis, the Buckeye and Pro Football Hall of Famer who helped break the color line playing for Paul Brown in Cleveland before he founded the Bengals. Since Willis was one of the few people with whom Brown enjoyed watching a game, Bengals president Mike Brown invited Willis to sit next to him at the opening game of Paul Brown Stadium (now Paycor) in 2000.

Now, the kid who wore Bill Willis' O is wearing A.J. Green's 18.

"Surreal," Johnson said.

Slants and Screens

His 29^th birthday found Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow reflective late in his sixth season with a 4-9 record after his four touchdown passes weren't enough in Buffalo.

"If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it. I have been through a lot. If it's not fun, then what am I doing it for?" said Burrow, who admitted it's been tough to have fun lately.

"I think I've been through more than most," Burrow said. "Certainly not easy on the brain or the body, so just trying to have fun doing it again." …

Burrow is not only a fan of the havoc wrought by NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson, but he also admires the nastiness with which he does it. He reacted to the news Hendrickson is done for the year with surgery on his core:

"He's great at what he does. You saw it when he was out there. He closed out the Jacksonville game making plays. He's done that his whole career. He gets sacks, makes plays, talks smack. You need guys like that on your team. We'd be better with him out there." …

Burrow also reacted to the departure of Burton: "Tough. He shows glimpses here and there, but, unfortunately, it turned out the way it did." …