Dj Ivey

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	INT	PD	Tkl
Career		36	—	6	24
2025		17	0	3	17
2024		11	0	2	4
2023		8

Season	Team	GP	Tkl	Sacks	INT	PD	Grade
2025		17	17	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%
2024		11	4	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%
2023		8	3	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%

Grades reflect the player's performance in each season. Header grade shows the current season.

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Cincinnati Bengals got a D Contract Value Index out of the DJ Ivey signing because the guaranteed money matches the production tier. At $980K AAV on a four-year rookie deal, Ivey is being compensated exactly as a seventh-round cornerback should be—which is the problem. His 2025 season of 17 tackles across 17 games represents depth-level availability rather than impact production, and that matches what you'd expect from a rotational corner in his third year still searching for a consistent role. The CVI takes a hit because there's no upside embedded in this contract; he's locked into a below-average performer's salary without the kind of performance juice that would justify even modest spending at the position. Ivey's narrative advantage—a well-received feature about his ACL recovery that has genuinely resonated with the Bengals fan base and local media—buys him goodwill and shields his roster standing from immediate scrutiny, but it's a narrative asset, not a production asset. Cincinnati's recent secondary additions signal the organization is raising the competitive bar around him, making his fragile roster status even more precarious heading into 2026. The contract itself is cheap and low-risk, which is all you can ask from a depth piece, but the D grade reflects the uncomfortable truth that Ivey is being paid fairly for exactly what he's shown: a backup cornered into hoping the inspirational story translates into on-field consistency before the goodwill runs out.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Dj's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

DJ Ivey delivers production that earns a D performance grade against cornerback comps. The third-year defensive back checks in as a rotational depth piece whose 2025 season totals of 17 tackles across 17 games reflect availability without meaningful impact on the field — a marginal contribution that underscores why Cincinnati's recent defensive acquisitions (cornerbacks Ceyair Wright and Tacario Davis among others) position him further down the depth chart heading into 2026. His lone statistical bright spot is durability; he stayed healthy enough to play every game last season, which matters in a secondary rotation but does not mask the underlying weakness: minimal pass coverage production across his three-year NFL résumé, where he has recorded only six career passes defended and zero interceptions. The ACL recovery narrative that has generated genuine warmth among the Bengals fan base and local media provides legitimate feel-good color, but it cannot paper over the fact that he remains a replacement-level option in what is becoming an increasingly competitive secondary. His $1 million contract signals organizational consensus: he is a depth asset, not a building block, and sustained roster relevance will demand on-field production that finally matches the inspirational arc he has earned off the field.

How Dj Compares at the Position

Dj Ivey ranks 247th of 270 graded cornerbacks by performance. That slots Dj between Khalil Dorsey (D) just ahead and Josh Blackwell (D) just behind.

Current Sentiment

DJ Ivey's public perception sits at a steady C+ heading into the 2026 season — respectable for a seventh-round cornerback on a depth contract, but far from the kind of goodwill that signals a roster lock. The narrative driving that sentiment isn't statistical; it's personal. A widely circulated feature chronicling his recovery from a torn ACL reframed Ivey as a resilient team asset rather than a forgettable depth piece, generating genuine warmth among the Bengals fan base and local media that his raw production alone — six career passes defended and no interceptions across three seasons — never could have manufactured. That gap between the feel-good story and the on-field reality is exactly why the performance grade tells a starkly different story, registering an F that reflects the limitations of a rotational corner whose 2025 season (17 tackles across 17 games) was defined more by availability than impact. Cincinnati's offseason has been aggressive at other positions — acquiring Dexter Lawrence II via trade, signing Kyle Dugger, and adding Ja'Sir Taylor to the secondary — moves that raise the competitive bar around Ivey and make his roster standing even more precarious as the regular season approaches. His $1M contract tells you everything about the organizational calculus: he is a depth piece, not a building block. The bottom line is that Ivey's narrative is warm but fragile — the inspirational arc buys him goodwill through the preseason, but sustained positive perception in 2026 will require on-field production that finally matches the story he's earned off the field.