Jason La Canfora reported yesterday that the Giants are trying to move Kevin Zeitler, and the Jaguars are trying to move Andrew Norwell. In the piece on Zeitler and Norwell, I mentioned the possible seismic shift of talent across the league as teams will be releasing veterans that aren’t matching their production to their paychecks. Over the next week and a half, expect many more substantial names to hit free agency, and Trai Turner could be next. According to Adam Schefter, the Chargers are actively shopping the former Pro-Bowl guard, who’s due $11.5 million this season — likely resulting in the former LSU Tiger being released.
Chargers are actively shopping former Pro-Bowl guard Trai Turner, per source. It looks like he will be traded or released in the near future. He’s due $11.5 million this season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2021
Going off Turner’s production in just 2020, Terry Fontenot shouldn’t even consider bringing him in. He was statistically the worst starter on the Chargers’ line, graded a 34.8 by PFF — ranked 79th out of 80 guards around the league. Turner was the lowest-rated pass blocker among the starting line in Los Angeles, the weakest link on a bad overall unit.
But Fontenot has preached about finding value in free agency and the draft because of the shrinking salary cap, and last season was an anomaly due to the pandemic. Turner could’ve performed so poorly because he didn’t have much practice time during training camp due to an injury, making it hard for the big man to get back into shape. He’s a tough player that acts like a quarterback bodyguard and will surely bounce back.
Turner would be an upgrade over James Carpenter, who will most likely be a cap casualty. A back-loaded multi-year deal seems like the best course of action when trying to provide an immediate upgrade and lower the cap hit. Fontenot could even rent Turner on a one-year prove-it deal if the veteran wants to prove his worth for next year’s free agency.
—
—
Photographer: John Byrum/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.