_This has been a training camp where players make a big jump from rookie to sophomore, and two of the best examples of that came out in big ways Thursday in the Bengals' final practice before their preseason opener against the Buccaneers on Saturday (7 p.m., FOX 19 in Cincinnati) at Paco Stadium.
Cornerback DJ Turner, nicknamed “Mr. PBU” for his many touches of the ball during camp, finally shook off the attack by intercepting a shot by quarterback Joe Burrow.
Wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, who spent resources during the offseason trying to get faster and stronger in training camp so he can be on the field more often along with wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, had another touchdown catch.
Chase hasn't practiced yet and missed Thursday after Higgins spoiled Wednesday's practice, so Iosivas has had plenty of practice. Not only has he worked well in the cross position with Chase throughout camp, but he's also benefited from such a long training camp with quarterback Joe Burrow, something Chase and Higgins never had.
Head coach Zac Taylor thinks that helps not just Iosivas but everyone.
“We're moving the ball better than we've ever done before, unscripted,” Taylor said before practice. “Last year we didn't have a starting quarterback, and this time around we had no issues with (backup) Jake (Browning). We knew Joe was going to be back for the first game, so that helped us. So we just kept everything moving and tried to catch up when he got back. Now we don't have to think about any of that.”
Burrow has been playing well lately, but on Thursday he was caught by Turner. Turner was outside wide receiver Trenton Irwin on third down along the right sideline, and when Burrow made a rare overthrow, Turner was in such good position in front of Irwin that he had no choice but to turn and make the catch. “Mr. PBU” stands for pass breakup, and while it is recorded as a statistic, defensive backs count it as an interception they should have made.
“We needed that. We needed that,” Turner said as he ran back to his teammates with the ball.
Turner reflected on those emotions in the locker room afterward.
“I dropped it too much, I don't like it, so I'm going to retire it,” Turner said. “When you have nine quarterbacks, you have to be ready for any situation. He took the shot, so I played on top…see the ball, catch the ball. That's all that was going through my mind…mentally, I needed it.”
Turner can sense the momentum from a defense that has come into camp attacking with the urgency of a unit that fell in the league standings last season.
“We have momentum, we have confidence, we have a lot of energy, we're all on the same page,” Turner said.
