Cincy Jungle
Which three Secret Superstars might help the 2025 Bengals out of a debacle of their own making?
Like many of us, the Cincinnati Bengals have first-class aspirations that they try to cover with economy budgets.
Unlike many of us, the Cincinnati Bengals are doing this despite the fact that they share in a revenue pool from a sport that is a license to print money, and will become even more so in the next few years as broadcast and streaming deals become more and more profitable.
In a recent interview for Athlon Sports with the great ESPN writer Seth Wickersham, Seth told me that he heard from one team president who told him that despite the insane money NFL teams have to play with, some of them are run like “billion-dollar lemonade stands” as opposed to Fortune 500 companies.
It’s abundantly true, and it’s also where the Bengals come in. The same franchise that was once parsimonious enough to view scouting departments as utterly fungible is now lowballing its best defensive player in Trey Hendrickson, and its first-round defensive star in Shemar Stewart, despite a defense that bottomed out at 27th in Defensive DVOA last season.
In both cases, the contentions make no sense. With little around him in 2024, Hendrickson had 18 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 49 quarterback hurries, 19 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. Paying Hendrickson what he’s worth should be a complete no-brainer. And in Stewart’s case, there’s a pretty long road before his pass-rush moves catch up with his raw athleticism. This is a guy who needs as many reps as possible, and he’s not getting them, because he’s not practicing, because the Bengals are wetting the bed over void language in Stewart’s contract.
So, while the team did re-up receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this offseason, things aren’t really optimal on both sides of the ball, as management once again becomes that one top-heavy person you pray will be the sucker in your fantasy league.
If the Bengals are to transcend their own stubbed toes (as has been the case for time immemorial), some Secret Superstars are going to have to step up. In the continuation of our “Hidden Gems” series, we look at one underrated veteran, free-agent signing, and draft pick who might help take this sad song and make it at least a little bit better.
As we all know, there are times when track speed shows up on tape, and other times when it very definitely doesn’t. In the case of DJ Turner II, it’s all coming together.
In 2024, the second-year man from Michigan who was selected with the 60th overall pick in the 2023 draft allowed 19 catches on 38 targets for 234 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 69.4 — the lowest among any member of the Bengals secondary with 10 or more targets.
Quite an upgrade over Turner’s rookie season,...
