PLAYER OF THE DAY

CB D.J. Turner II

Welcome to the D.J. Turner II Cornerback Clinic.

Two passes defensed against All-Pro Ja’Marr Chase. Two more against Ten Touchdown Tee Higgins. How good of a day? As Turner says, "I face the best out here every day."

The cornerback carousel continues to roll out blue- chip performances. Turner had been running second team the last couple of days, but head coach Zac Taylor says don't get excited as they ease back slot cornerback Dax Hill from his ACL injury and monitor Cam Taylor-Britt’s muscle soreness.

"I wouldn't read anything these first couple of weeks into who's lining up with who, because oftentimes it's so fluid with us at 9:52 a.m. before a 10 o'clock practice," Taylor said. "That's just part of training camp. There's plenty of time for a bunch of these battles to shake out."

Turner is a true man-to-man cover corner, and never was it more on display than Thursday when they avoided the morning showers and moved the workout to the IEL Indoor Practice Facility.

All four plays came against man, two in the first team period and two more in the last. On the last snap of the day, Turner ran step-for-step with Higgins' 6-4 strides on a deep ball and broke it up as they leaped in the air together. The 5-11 Turner can do that as the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine 40-yard Dash Champion.

"That's what I do. That's me," said Turner, who was beginning to put it all together in his second season last year when he injured his collarbone and missed the last six games.

What he does is man. Like he did against Chase late in practice when Chase tried to hook up with quarterback Joe Burrow on an over route. Chase ran over, but Turner reached in front of the game's best wide receiver and batted the pass away like a basketball defender would deny an in-bounds pass.

"I saw the ball, I played it. That's all there was to it," Turner said. It was just man. A condensed formation. All I saw was just me and him."

Former Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman," Jones saw more than that. Turner's play on Thursday reminded him of Leon Hall, his fellow cornerback on the Bengals' 2013 and 2015 AFC North champions who, like Turner, played at Michigan.

"You can tell by his footwork it's year three. He's very comfortable," said Jones after interviewing Turner at his old locker after practice for his "Politely Raw! With Pacman Jones," podcast.

"He reminds me of Leon with his instincts and being on point. You can look at his starts and his stances and see that he's being consistent using the right technique. Against the press, he was damn good. Patient … Everybody knows he can run. It looks like the chemistry with the safeties is better this year."

PLAY OF THE DAY

LB Demetrius Knight

Maybe this is what Burrow means when he uses 7-on-7 to dabble, and the interceptions be damned.

He threw another one Thursday in 7-on-7 for his second in as many days, but his advice to the rookie Knight on Wednesday made it possible.

Knight dropped into zone coverage, had a flashback to the day before, put his hands up and tipped Burrow's pass into the hands of slot cornerback Dax Hill.

"I got the same concept yesterday, and got it again today," said Knight, who is fitting in nicely next to Logan Wilson in the starting lineup. "I responded better this time around. Yesterday, I could have been there a little sooner on the same type of pass.

"I asked Joe about it after practice. He said I was in pretty good position. It's just playing it better. It was a great ball. Probably no other way I could have played it. But days like today, if I can get a read on it and know or feel that it's coming, I can make a play like today."

Knight, by the way, has been as advertised as their second-round pick out of South Carolina. Smart, seasoned, fast, explosive. On Wednesday, he showed out with down-hill hits on running backs Chase Brown and Samaje Perine.

"He's physical. He'll be good for the defense. Great addition," Hill said. "Just natural. You can tell his instincts and knowledge of the game allow him to do what he does."

Knight showed his seasoning right away back in the spring and not batting an eye about approaching Burrow to ask him certain plays. He's still doing it. Like he did after Wednesday's practice. He might tell Burrow after a play where a ball has whizzed behind Knight's head, "I like that."

"Just because it's making me think, making me respond better," Knight said.

Knight laughed when asked if Burrow got back to him about his tip that caused the pick.

"He said, 'I wanted to see if you were paying attention from yesterday,'" Knight said. "I appreciate him for that."

It was a big day for Hill, and not because of a Burrow pick. As he admits, "It's a celebration. Hard to come by."

But big because after a good day Wednesday, he played more Thursday as they ease him back from his ACL injury.

"A couple of more periods, a couple of more plays," Hill said. "As time goes on, those plays will be full go in terms of not coming out."

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Kicker Evan McPherson on his field-goal miss from 62 yards, just his second misfire of camp:

"It was a great day overall. Any day that I don't miss and then miss a 62-yarder, I'm OK with. I want to make them all, but I was hitting the ball really well today. I hit the 62 fine. I just kind of fell off it a little bit. Any day I can hit the ball like I did today and the last one just didn't happen to go in, I'm happy because there's a lot of good stuff I can take with me."

SLANTS AND SCREENS

The season-ready McPherson pounded the ball against the indoor wall when he blasted them from 50 and 53 yards with plenty to spare, as well as drilling it good from 40, 45 and 49. He had plenty on the 62, but it dipped right.

With a point on the line in the camp-long competition between offense and defense, the miss added to the defense's growing lead. Head coach Zac Taylor froze him with a timeout and made sure he didn't kick it for practice try, a move McPherson attributes to special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.

"As the opposing head coach, he has the right to step in front of the snap and don't let us get our practice kick in. I'm sure Darrin told him," McPherson said …

First-rounder Shemar Stewart had a good day at various defensive line spots. They can't block him with a running back. Kendall Milton, outweighed by 40 pounds, made a game try, but Stewart was able to bear hug quarterback Desmond Ridder. In one-on-one pass rush, Stewart ripped through rookie guard Dylan Fairchild …

Taylor has also noticed Knight's big hits:

"It puts me in a tough position sometimes during practice, but you'd probably rather that than the other way around." …