Cole

Turner

The former fifth-round wasn’t long for Washington after the team signed Zach Ertz and drafted Ben Sinnott. Heading into his third season, another team could take a flier on Turner in hopes of developing him as he’s only 24 years old. The move clears the runway for Sinnott to serve as a rotational TE2 to start his rookie campaign.

The answer to who would replace Logan Thomas was clearly Cole Turner. The second-year pro was on the field often for Washington and even led the team in targets with Sam Howell under pressure often. One of the incomplete targets to Turner was an end zone look where Howell didn’t have time to get off a good pass. It’s not the type of game that would allow Turner to leapfrog Logan Thomas on the depth chart, but it does show that the tight end will continue to be a large part of the Washington offense.

Thomas remains in the league’s concussion protocol and will miss Week 3’s matchup as a result. The Commanders No. 1 tight end has been held out of practice all week after exiting Week 2’s contest against the Broncos, but could be back in time for Week 4. Cole Turner and John Bates will both get looks at tight end, but neither should be considered reliable for fantasy this week.

This is based on Selby’s observations at Washington’s mandatory minicamp, which officially wrapped up on Wednesday. Selby notes it would be “a tall order” for offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to replicate the production he enjoyed with Travis Kelce during his time with the Chiefs, but that based on the number of targets the tight ends were seeing at minicamp, it’s apparent Bieniemy hopes to utilize his new tight ends in Washington. Logan Thomas, who turns 32 next month, is considered the favorite to land the Commanders’ TE1 job heading into camp, but second-year tight end and former wide receiver Cole Turner could threaten for some of that workload. With all of Washington’s tight ends currently going late in drafts, it’s possible the starter in this offense returns some fantasy value, although expectations should be tempered.

A former wide receiver turned tight end, Turner has a chance to contribute in his second season with the Commanders if he can stay healthy. Rivera praised Turner for having a “good grasp of the offense” early on and noted his ability to pick things up quickly. In his final 20 games at Nevada, Turner was one of the more productive tight ends in the nation, posting a 111-1282-19 line over his last two seasons. Washington did little to address the tight end position this offseason, and starter Logan Thomas will be 32 at the start of the season. While Turner still has a ways to go to earn significant playing time, he could force his way into the field with a strong camp.

TE John Bates is questionable with a hamstring issue. Last week, Cole Turner operated as the team’s primary pass-catching tight end. He caught both of his targets for 23 yards. Turner would have deep league appeal if Thomas and Bates are declared out against Green Bay.

Turner (6'7/249) spent his first two seasons at Nevada as a wide receiver but only managed a 6-88-1 receiving line in six games. His receiving production spiked after converting to tight end in 2020. Despite the position change, Turner played 99% of his snaps in the slot or out wide as a junior. He played 15% of his snaps inline in 2021, but still spent 58% of his snaps in the slot and 27% out-wide. Essentially a big wide receiver, Turner was able to log a 111-1,282-19 receiving line in his final 20 games. Turner was particularly impressive as a touchdown scorer, producing 35% of Nevada’s touchdowns in 2020 and 30% in 2021. With a 4.79 40 and a 29-inch vertical, Turner may be dynamic enough to earn snaps in a big-WR role in the NFL, but he could have a rotational goal line presence.

Turner (6'6/240) has been a player to watch on the Nevada Wolf Pack for the past two seasons, recording the best season of his career in 2021. Because of that, he’s had an opportunity to continue impressing in pre-draft events -- most recently the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Now, he’s headed to the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, where he recently told Crissy Froyd of The Draft Network that he’s hoping to prove he’s one of the fastest tight ends in this draft class, in addition to being one of the most versatile.

Turner (6'6/240) looked skinny compared to the other tight ends and had defenders stuck to him during both 1-on-1’s and team sessions. He is clearly overmatched as a blocker, so if he can’t separate in the passing game then Turner isn’t going to have much value at the NFL level. The Nevada tight end caught 62-of-93 targets for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns this year, earning a modest 72.6 receiving grade from PFF. Turner is shaping up like a Day 3 dart throw in this year’s draft.

After accepting an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl back in November, this was inevitable for Turner (6'6"/240). What was a surprise in his announcement he put out on his Twitter page Wednesday afternoon was that he was skipping the Quick Lane Bowl against Western Michigan. Turner was a dominant force for the Wolfpack, catching 62 passes for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.