Can Cole Turner have a role for the Washington Commanders in 2022?

Could fifth-round rookie tight end Cole Turner have a role in the Washington Commanders offense in his first year?

The Washington Commanders had an interesting fifth-round in the 2022 NFL Draft. They managed to snatch a free-falling Sam Howell.

The quarterback was expected to be taken in the second round but fell all the way to the fifth. A more under-the-radar move was them selecting tight end Cole Turner as well.

Washington already has Logan Thomas. And John Bates had a solid rookie campaign as well. But could Turner have a role in the offense immediately?

First, we need to recognize that tight end is a strange position for the Commanders. Thomas was phenomenal in 2020. But that was a true breakout year. His 72 receptions for 670 yards and six touchdowns that season were all more than his three seasons at tight end before that combined.

Due to that, there was a lot of “is this the real deal” talk surrounding him. And to his credit, Thomas looked really good when he was on the field in 2021. However, injuries took away most of his playing time. And an ACL injury ended his season – so that leads to even more questions in 2022.

Bates had a solid rookie year. He contributed in the passing game a lot more than most probably expected. Finishing with 20 receptions for 249 yards and a touchdown isn’t bad, especially considering he was far from the first option when he was on the field. However, he is definitely more of a blocking tight end.

Then there’s Turner. An absolute specimen – a creature. He’s listed at 6’6″, 240 pounds. That’s a big boy. Okay, to be fair that’s the same height at actually less weight than both Thomas and Bates. The difference here is Turner is an athlete.

Thomas is athletic and Bates isn’t not athletic. However, neither is like Turner. Good speed for that size and elite jumping abilities. They make the rookie an immediate threat.

Where does he fit in though? Well, the Washington offense is a strange one. They drafted Jahan Dotson in the first round this year and already have superstar Terry McLaurin. That’s a nasty one-two punch at receiver.

Curtis Samuel can hopefully come back and play better this year. Maybe they can get some production from Dyami Brown too. However, this group still has some holes in it. Could this lead to a decent amount of “two tight end” sets?

Then you go to the quarterbacks. Carson Wentz is definitely an upgrade from last season. He’s flawed though. And sometimes relies heavily on the dump-off passes (not being able to get the offense moving has been a criticism of his in the past). This might not seem like what you’d want to use Turner for, but tight ends are prime “security blanket” options.

Even better for the “Cole Turner could contribute” argument, Wentz doesn’t exactly have massive job security. As mentioned earlier, Washington took Howell in the draft.

The quarterback will probably be breathing down Wentz’s neck. And the second things start to get a little too shaky, could take over. Rookie QBs always need those security blankets.

All of these are just ways Turner could possibly be involved. There is one that seems like a slam dunk though. You saw Turner’s size. And you know that the tight end has insane athleticism for his size and position. He’s a matchup nightmare. There’s no area of the field where that can be exploited more than the red zone.

In 2021, Washington scored a touchdown on just 52% of their red zone trips. That ranked 26th in the NFL. Only six teams ranked below them.

Those six teams were the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and New York Giants. Outside of the Raiders all those offenses had major issues last season. So, not good company for a few reasons.

This is something that Cole Turner could help the Washington Commanders with immediately. They need targets that can make themselves big in the red zone and go up and get the ball.

Well, he’s already massive. And his vertical and wingspan are going to make his reach far surpass basically anyone else on the field.

Even if Turner is behind Thomas all year (and sees even more limited time because Bates is extremely useful in the running game), there could still be a major role for the rookie. Scoring in the red zone was an embarrassing issue for the Commanders last season. Enter Cole Turner.