Trai

Turner

Turner visited with the Saints on Monday and joined the team shortly after. He spent the 2022 season in Washington where he started 12 games at right guard. A five-time Pro Bowler with the Panthers, Turner has become a steady journeyman, logging 51 starts with four different teams over the past four years. Turner will be 31 years old when he’s fully recovered from the torn quad.

Turner was a five-time Pro Bowler with the Panthers during his tenure with the team (2014-2019), but has bounced around between three different franchises over the last three seasons. He spent 2022 with the Commanders, appearing in 13 games while earning a PFF grade of 53.0. Turner’s experience as a starter will provide added depth to the Saints’ OL if the two sides come to terms on a deal.

Nothing too surprising here. In addition to being without Turner the Commanders will be absent EDGE Chase Young for at least one more week. The Commanders have a Week 14 bye before facing the Giants again in Week 15.

Turner hurt the ankle in last week’s contest and did not practice all week. Sam Cosmi is reportedly in line to replace him in Week 13.

Turner has experience playing under Washington head coach Ron Rivera dating back to their days in Carolina. He most recently played for the Steelers, starting all 17 games for them in 2021. With Washington being Turner’s fourth team in as many seasons, he has become the epitome of a journeyman. Despite the lack of long-term interest in his services, Turner played well in Pittsburgh and was ranked as Pro Football Focus’s No. 31 guard last year. His time with Rivera likely means he has the inside track to start at right guard.

This comes hours after the release of David DeCastro, who is reportedly mulling retirement and dealing with an ankle issue. Carolina dealt Turner to the Chargers ahead of the 2020 season but he took the field for just nine games, missing the rest of his first and only season with his new team due to a myriad of injuries. After a disappointing year in LA, Turner was released to save Los Angeles $11.5 million in cap space. He was graded outside Pro Football Focus’s top 100 guards last year but the injuries could have played a part in that downturn. Prior to 2020, Turner had been to five consecutive Pro Bowls. Pittsburgh’s offensive line struggled to create running lanes for James Conner last year and is only returning one starter. Adding Turner will help buoy the loss of DeCastro but this unit still projects to be below average at best.

The Steelers had to make the difficult decision to move on from RG David DeCastro today, who has been dealing with an injury and may ultimately retire. DeCastro leaves only a single returning starter on the Steelers’ line. Turner visited the Steelers last week as well, so given their need at guard, he could sign soon. Turner was released by the Chargers after struggling through injuries last year, but if healthy, his signing could help buoy what is looking like a dangerously weak starting unit.

It’s Turner’s first visit on record after the Chargers outright released him upon realizing there were no interested suitors via trade. The 28-year-old was only available for nine appearances in his lone season with Los Angeles due to a number of injuries. Presumably at full health, Turner could easily start in Pittsburgh’s interior the moment he inks a deal there. It would be a terrific signing for all, Najee Harris and Ben Roethlisberger included.

This was always in the cards since Los Angeles has struggled to find any suitors for the 27-year-old ahead of free agency. Turner was initially acquired from the Panthers in exchange for OT Russell Okung last offseason but made only nine appearances throughout the year due to injury. The move creates $11.5 million in cap space for the Chargers.

There’s a terrific chance he’s simply released if the team can’t find a suitor. Turner, 27, was acquired from the Panthers in exchange for OT Russell Okung last offseason but mustered only nine appearances with the Chargers (after previously playing 84 games in Carolina) due to a number of significant injuries experienced mid-year. With Kevin Zeitler’s and Andrew Norwell’s names recently cropping up as additional available options, the market is expected to be flooded with talented offensive linemen seeking fresh starts. Turner is due $11 million in base salary in 2021.