Why We Should See More of Young Cincinnati Bengals Cornerback DJ Ivey in 2025

CINCINNATI – One of the biggest surprises through the first week of Cincinnati Bengals training camp has been how well – and how much – cornerback DJ Ivey has been playing.

Just don’t count Bengals cornerbacks coach Charles Burks among the surprised.

“I've always been high on DJ Ivey,” Burks said after Monday’s practice. “Last year at the end of the season, I put him on George Pickens on third down in the fourth quarter to try to win the game.

“That's how much I think of him,” Burks said. “I'm not afraid to put DJ Ivy in if it's a good matchup. If it's against the best receiver, best tight end, I'll put him in the game.”

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson targeted Pickens twice on third downs in that game, which the Bengals won 19-17.

Neither of the targets resulted in completions.

A seventh round pick out of Miami in 2023, Ivey carried that momentum from Pittsburgh into OTAs and training camp.

His opportunity last season, though limited to 60 defensive snaps, arose due to season-ending injuries to Dax Hill and DJ Turner II.

All the cornerbacks are participating in camp, although Hill is working in slowly after receiving medical clearance on his ACL, and Cam Taylor-Britt took one practice off from team drills to deal with what head coach Zac Taylor said was soreness.

That's given Ivey a chance to rep some with the first team in addition to his regular snaps with the twos. Monday he ended the red-zone period with a pass breakup in the end zone.

“I love DJ Ivey,” Burks said. “He has length, he has speed, he’s mentally tough. He’s a good player.”

Ivey started getting on the field defensively late in his rookie season. He played what is still a career-high 13 snaps in Week 14 against the Colts.

But the following week against the Vikings, he tore his ACL while making a tackle on a punt returner in the first quarter.

Ivey’s opportunity to play gunner came after Tycen Anderson tore his ACL covering a punt in Week 10 that season.

Ivey returned to action midway through last season, and from that point on he ranked fourth on the team in special team snaps.

But his defensive snaps continued to increased in December and January.

“DJ continues to ascend in a lot of areas on defense and special teams, and I'm excited to watch him continue to compete in training camp,” Taylor said. “He's a guy I enjoy being around. I like what he's about. He's got great length to him, really good athleticism. So he can play a couple different spots on defense, and I think Al (Golden) and the staff are doing a good job utilizing him that way."

The 6-foot-1 Ivey has nearly 33-inch arms, which makes him a candidate to be the guy to cover tight ends on third downs.

But he’s also working in the slot and at outside corner in addition to his heavy load on special teams.

And though last year marked his return from the ACL surgery, 2025 is when his coaches expect to see him truly excel with the mental barrier removed.

“I went in every day with the mindset of 'attack the rehab,' like I was going to practice. I just got better,” Ivey said. “Physically I made it back by my target date.”

Burks said the other part took longer.

“Mentally, when you get to where you don't have to think about it, that's the big part of it,” he said. “Mentally, it's 'can I be the same person I was before I got hurt?' That's something that all athletes, when they suffer an injury like that, they have to work through.

“He's worked through that, and he's playing free right now. He's in a good spot.”

While he made the big play Monday, Friday was his best overall day of the first week of camp, with Ivey making several plays on the ball, including ripping a touchdown pass free from the arms of wide receiver Cole Burgess.

Asked if he had a favorite play from the day, Ivey changed directions.

“I don’t have a favorite one, but I have a couple I want to get back,” he said.

The pursuit of improvement continues Wednesday when the Bengals will hold their second padded practice of camp with only four more to go after that before the preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, in which Ivey should see plenty of action.