Washington Commanders add another solid piece in Trai Turner
By Hunter Noll
The Washington Commanders have added another solid piece thanks to their signing of free agent guard Trai Turner to a one-year deal on Monday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter, the Washington Commanders signed veteran free agent guard Trai Turner to a one-year deal on Monday.
Washington is signing former Steelers’ free-agent guard Trai Turner to a one-year, $3 million deal, per source. Turner previously played for Ron Rivera in Carolina.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 2, 2022
This is the exact type of solid piece signing that makes this roster sneaky good. Now, this isn’t saying that the Commanders are going to be the best team in the NFL. However, they’ve made some moves this offseason and have some under-the-radar potential to be a lot better than many are expecting.
Turner adds offensive line depth. There’s no guarantee he’ll start. Wes Schweitzer could end up holding on to that starting guard spot opposite of Andrew Norwell. But that’s what’s so beautiful about this move.
Depth is ridiculously important on the offensive line. It’s hurt the Commanders in the past plenty of times. And now they have less to worry about there.
It’s also important to remember that Turner went to five straight Pro Bowls from 2015-2019.
Turner isn’t the only great move though. The previously mentioned Norwell filled a massive gap on the offensive line.
Re-signing J.D. McKissic was such a solid move I had multiple friends immediately text me to tell me how much they hated it. They aren’t Washington fans though.
The reason they hated it is because they realize how valuable he is and feel like he’ll take away from Antonio Gibson’s fantasy value. Bringing back Bobby McCain is a nice move for the secondary as well.
In the draft, Washington added a major offensive weapon in Jahan Dotson. Cole Turner could have some serious potential at tight end too. While we’re talking about tight end, don’t forget that Logan Thomas will be back this season after missing most of the previous year due to injury.
Yes, I wasn’t happy about the move. But there’s no denying that Carson Wentz is an upgrade to Taylor Heinicke. Not only that, but Sam Howell is now lurking in the shadows. He adds a nice “potential” element to the quarterbacks.
The Commanders added a few more pieces through the draft that could contribute early on as well.
Trai Turner is a perfect addition though. He did not break the bank ($3 million), and he’s got an impressive résumé. It’s another move that sort of perfectly encapsulates the Washington Commanders heading into 2022.
No one is really going to talk about it, but don’t let you think it won’t be good.
Washington may have just gotten a starting offensive lineman. At worst, they have added an accomplished leader who gives the team great depth at an important position.
This roster is really starting to take shape nicely. It should be fun to see what they do between now and the start of the season. Something tells me they aren’t done just yet.