NFL draft preview: Where Bengals stand at cornerback
Cornerback has finally come into focus as a major need for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL draft this year.
Logically and with fans, cornerback was always a big need. The Bengals appear to have two future long-term starters at the position, provided the front office gets extensions done with them properly.
But the third spot and depth behind the starters is about as shaky as it gets leaguewide. It’s a quiet problem, but one that could come to the forefront at No. 10 overall.
Here’s a quick rundown of the Bengals at cornerback going into the draft.
Who's on the roster?
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DJ Turner II
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DJ Ivey
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Jalen Kimber
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Bralyn Lux
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Ja'Sir Taylor
The Bengals got breakouts on the boundary from DJ Turner and Dax Hill last year. Turner looks like he has long-term No. 1 upside. Hill didn’t get to move outside until later in the season, but he was stellar there.
Those are the foundational building blocks for the Bengals’ defense. It feels like they’re the only sure, reliable things going into 2026. Both will probably be expected to be paid as such, perhaps over the summer.
What complicates things is if the Bengals take a corner at No. 10 who is a good fit on the boundary, which could cause the coaches to once again mess with Hill’s position . That could backfire.
Who departed this offseason?
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Marco Wilson (Dolphins)
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Cam Taylor-Britt ( Colts )
Cam Taylor-Britt was never coming back. The former second-round pick flamed out badly, going from a possible No. 1 option to getting benched multiple times before a string of off-field issues .
Positional need: Major
It’s hard to undersell just how dire things are at cornerback for the Bengals.
They don’t have a starting nickel corner. Josh Newton never seized the opportunity. Jalen Davis is currently the starter, but he’s a former practice squad player and 30 years old.
Fourth cornerback is effectively a “starter” in the NFL these days, too, given the injury rate at the position, how important rotations are to keep guys fresh and how to play into matchups. The Bengals don’t have a reliable fourth or fifth corner.
Then there’s the front office. The Bengals left their comfort zone when they paid top-of-market deals to two wideouts for Joe Burrow . It’s unlikely, for roster-balancing reasons, that they would do the same at cornerback. Maybe Hill doesn’t want as much as Turner, but it’s hard to imagine this front office going major for both. That’s especially true if they draft one at No. 10 and think about the long-term costs if that pick pans out well.
Given the above, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Bengals attack cornerback at No. 10 and then again later in the order. It’s a premium spot that needs four starters and they have two, with nothing guaranteed for the long-term thanks to the front office.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: NFL draft preview: Where Bengals stand at cornerback
