Pittsburgh Steelers: Does Trai Turner make a huge difference?

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Trai Turner after releasing David DeCastro but will the newcomer make that much of a difference on the offensive line?

The decision to release veteran guard David DeCastro was, admittedly, a shocking one from the Pittsburgh Steelers — though it does seem to have some merits given injury concerns. However, the franchise quickly moved to fill the void left by the stalwart on the interior of the offensive line, agreeing to a one-year, $3 million contract with veteran Trai Turner.

After a standout tenure with the Carolina Panthers, Turner was traded to the Chargers where things decidedly didn’t go well. Injuries hampered him and limited him to playing essentially just half the season. And when he was on the field, Turner struggled as he was clearly not at 100 percent, ranking 79th among guards in PFF grades (subscription required), next-to-last among those who played enough snaps to qualify.

With that said, Turner coming to Pittsburgh at 100 percent is a good addition for the Steelers. He was consistently a top-25 guard in the league in Carolina when healthy, so Pittsburgh can hope to get that type of performance from him as they aim to replace DeCastro. The fact that they’re able to do so at such a cheap price is even better.

However, the problem with Turner is that he plays only one spot on the offensive line, which should be the larger concern in the Steel City.

Concerns about the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line persist even with Trai Turner entering the fold.

For all of the talent that the Steelers have on defense and at skill positions, fans should be wary of their offensive line. This is a team that now loses four starters from last year with DeCastro included but, even if you consider Turner a one-for-one replacement, there have not been the same for Alejandro Villanueva (free agency), Matt Feiler (free agency) and Maurkice Pouncey (retirement).

That now leaves Pittsburgh moving Chuks Okorafor to left tackle, starting Zach Banner at right tackle, starting J.C. Hassenauer at center, and having Kevin Dotson play a full-time starting role opposite Turner at guard. Hassenauer has less than 100 NFL snaps to his credit, while Okorafor and Banner have left a lot to be desired. And then there’s Dotson and Turner, who should be fine but also aren’t elite commodities either.

For a team that invested their first-round pick in running back Najee Harris while having an aging Ben Roethlisberger under center, that’s terrifying. Not only has the bulk of their O-line not proven they can play at a high or even adequate level in the NFL but they also must coalesce as a newly constructed unit, which can’t be understated.

To be sure, things could work out for the Steelers. Their offensive line isn’t hopeless and there is some potential. But potential isn’t certainty and, for a franchise that might be looking for one final run with Big Ben, that should be a big concern that the Turner addition doesn’t address in the slightest.