Tag: Cole Turner

WATCH: Commanders TE Cole Turner makes acrobatic catch in practice

Cole Turner is battling for a spot on the 53 and plays like this will help his chances.

Washington Commanders tight end Cole Turner is in his third NFL training camp this summer. As a rookie fifth-round pick in 2022, Turner jumped out to a fast start in his first training camp, but an injury ruined things.

Turner returned, but it was too late to make an impact during his rookie season. He appeared in 10 games and caught two passes for 23 yards. A concussion cost Turner more time that season. Turner played in 12 games last season, catching 11 passes for 120 yards.

This offseason, new Washington general manager Adam Peters set out to rebuild the tight end position. The Commanders released Logan Thomas and signed Zach Ertz. Then, Peters would use a second-round pick on Ben Sinnott.

This offseason is now or never for Turner in Washington. One week into training camp, he appears up to the task. During Thursday’s practice, check out this catch Turner made on a throw from quarterback Marcus Mariota.

These are the types of plays Washington has been wanting from Turner. He is competing with Ertz, Sinnott, John Bates, Armani Rogers and undrafted rookie Colson Yankoff for three or four spots. Ertz, Sinnott and Bates are safe. Turner is likely battling fellow third-year tight end Armani Rogers for a spot on Washington’s 53-man roster.

Turner needs a strong camp to make the team, but if he continues to show his athleticism and playmaking ability, he’ll land somewhere.

Zach Ertz already making an impact for the Commanders

Ertz has already emerged as one of Washington’s leaders.

When the Washington Commanders signed Zach Ertz in March, no one believed he’d be the starting tight end in 2024. Ertz was 33 and coming off a pair of injury-shortened seasons that left his future in question.

Washington believed Ertz had plenty left in the tank. It helped that his former head coach in Arizona, Kliff Kingsbury, was the Commanders’ new offensive coordinator. After the Philadelphia Eagles traded Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, he enjoyed plenty of success in Kingsbury’s offense.

Washington entered this offseason understanding it needed to rebuild the tight end position. After releasing veteran Logan Thomas, the Commanders signed Ertz to lead a room with younger players like John Bates (4th season), Armani Rogers (3rd season), Cole Turner (3rd season) and rookie second-round pick Ben Sinnott.

This is where Ertz would be counted upon. Yes, Washington believes he can still play, but head coach Dan Quinn has praised Ertz for his leadership throughout this offseason.

In an appearance on “The Sports Junkies” of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., this week, Turner spoke of Ertz’s influence.

“Zach and (Kingsbury) have been together for years before,” Turner said via Logan Mullen of Audacy.

“That’s the first thing about Zach that he’s seen what Kliff expects from the offense, and he’s not a selfish guy, he wants to help everyone out. It’s been really fun to play with him. Me and Zach have become friends in just a few months of knowing each other; he’s a very personable guy and a guy that goes out of his way and wants to see the team win.”

What Turner would say next is music to Quinn and general manager Adam Peters’s ears as they look to build the team and rebuild the culture.

“It’s been great having him around – not just for the tight ends, but for everyone. He’s one of the leaders on the team, for sure.”

Coaches and players have sung the praises of Ertz and linebacker Bobby Wagner throughout the offseason. While the Commanders are counting on Ertz to start this season, his most significant role could be his impact in the locker room.

The Commanders will meet with Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders ahead of the NFL draft

The Commanders will use one of their 30 pre-draft visits on the Texas star tight end.

The Washington Commanders recently signed veteran tight end Zach Ertz to a one-year deal, and he will likely be the starting tight end in 2024. Ertz proved early in 2023 that he could still play, but he is 33.

Other tight ends on Washington’s roster are John Bates, Cole Turner, and Armani Rogers. Bates is primarily a blocking tight end, while the unproven Turner is more of a big receiver playing tight end. Rogers has the upside but is coming off an Achilles injury that cost him last season.

Therefore, it would make sense that tight end would be a priority for the Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft. Brock Bowers of Georgia is the top prospect but should land somewhere among the top 15 picks. Washington will use its first selection on a quarterback.

Ja’Tavion Sanders of Texas is viewed as the No. 2 tight end in the upcoming draft class. Most view Sanders as a high second-round pick, but he could find his way into the bottom of the first round.

The Commanders like Sanders and, per Ben Standig of The Athletic, will host him on a pre-draft top-30 visit.

Sanders measured in at 6 feet 4 inches and 245 pounds at the NFL combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds. He made several big plays for the Longhorns and finished his final two seasons in Austin with a combined 99 receptions for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns. The two-time All-Big 12 selection averaged over 15 yards per reception in 2023.

Clemson WR out for season with injury

Breaking: A Clemson wide receiver will miss the rest of the 2023 season after suffering an injury on Sunday.

A Clemson wide receiver is out for the rest of the 2023 season.

Sophomore wide receiver Cole Turner tore three adductor muscles in his hip area in the Tigers’ 48-14 win over FAU on Saturday night and is out for the year, head coach Dabo Swinney announced on Sunday.

“Really hate that for him,” Swinney said of Turner’s injury. “Again, a kid we felt like was on his way to a big-time year this year. But good news for him, he’s got his whole career in front of him. He knows he can do it. So, just heart breaks because he’s worked really hard, and I know what he brings to the table. But again, we’ll have a lot of great days with Cole Turner in the years to come. But definitely going to miss him.”

Turner, who had a promising finish to the 2022 season, will finish this year with three receptions for 28 yards. He caught one pass for seven yards on Saturday before he ultimately went down with the injury on a deep pass intended for him.

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Swinney gives injury update on Turner

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney wasn’t too optimistic about Cole Turner’s injury status after the Tigers’ win over FAU.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave an injury update on wide receiver Cole Turner after the Tigers defeated Florida Atlantic on Saturday night.

After missing last week’s game against Charleston Southern with a lower-body injury, Turner returned to the lineup for the FAU game.

While he was able to play on Saturday, Turner went down on a deep pass to the end zone, grabbing his upper leg as he gingerly walked to the sidelines. He did not return to the game.

After the game, Swinney said that he didn’t have any details on Turner’s injury yet and the Tigers “don’t really know what we’re dealing with there.”

Turner finished the game with one reception for seven yards. He recorded two catches for 21 yards in the Tigers’ season opener at Duke.

As Clemson looks to develop its passing game, losing Turner would be a massive blow.

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Swinney gives injury update for two key contributors

Clemson HC Dabo Swinney gave an injury update on two key contributors who both missed last Saturday’s game.

Clemson could be getting back two key contributors this week.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, head coach Dabo Swinney gave an injury update on defensive back Andrew Mukuba and wide receiver Cole Turner, both of whom missed Saturday’s game against Charleston Southern.

Mukuba, who is dealing with a lower-body injury, is “day-to-day but doing good,” Swinney said. Mukuba started at nickel in Week 1 and has been one of the top defensive backs for the Tigers since he arrived at Clemson in 2021.

Swinney also said that Turner will be available for the Tigers’ game against Florida Atlantic on Saturday after dealing with a lower-body injury. Turner caught two passes for 21 yards against Duke in Week 1.

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Swinney updates the injury status of two starters as ‘day to day’

Swinney gives an injury update on two starters who missed the Charleston Southern game.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers were without two starters in their 66-17 win over Charleston Southern, but that was no issue for the team. 

With the win behind us, we now look toward Clemson’s next matchup at home, where they will face Florida Atlantic on September 16 at Death Valley. As we look toward the Week 3 matchup, Dabo Swinney was asked about the status of injured starters safety Andrew Mukuba and wide receiver Cole Turner. 

“Both of them just have lower body injuries, but they’re going to be day to day,” Swinney said.

It’s not much of an injury update from Swinney, but day-to-day is a good sign. We can expect these two starters back on the field sooner rather than later, but Swinney might stay cautious with the two ahead of their Week 4 matchup with Florida State.

Takeaways from Commanders/Ravens joint practice

Some news, notes and observations from the Commanders’ joint practices with the Ravens.

The Washington Commanders finished their joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens Wednesday after another solid day of work.

On Tuesday, Washington’s offense, led by quarterback Sam Howell, had an overall good day against a talented Ravens defense. Meanwhile, on defense, the Commanders were solid. The defensive line dominated at times, while the secondary had some good and bad moments.

The biggest takeaway from Tuesday’s practice was all the fighting. Emmanuel Forbes got into a scuffle with a Baltimore wide receiver, and others joined. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews bodyslammed Washington cornerback Danny Johnson for no apparent reason, and Commanders center Nick Gates was also involved in another battle.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and the teams accomplished what they set out to do.

How was the final day of joint practices between the two Beltway rivals?

Here are some takeaways from the final day of practice between the Ravens and Commanders.

One play from Sam Howell’s preseason game vs. Browns should have fans excited

Sam Howell and Cole Turner displayed some impressive chemistry in the preseason opener.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell played three series in the preseason-opening 17-15 win over the Cleveland Browns Friday. Howell completed nine of 12 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Howell also had an impressive eight-yard scramble for a first down on a third-and-6.

There were multiple instances in those three series where Howell showed impressive traits. His processing was outstanding on a couple of throws, as Howell checked down instead of forcing the ball into coverage.

Was he perfect? No. On the sack he took, Howell perhaps held the ball for a second too long, and right tackle Andrew Wylie was beaten for a sack.

But on Washington’s third drive, the Commanders faced a fourth-and-3 on Cleveland’s side of the field. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy had two downfield routes called on the fourth down play. Tight end Cole Turner ran a crossing route from the left side, while Terry McLaurin was lined up on the right side on what looked like a drag route and Antonio Gibson leaked out of the backfield.

When Howell took the snap, he immediately looked to his left toward receivers Jahan Dotson and Dyami Brown before scanning back across the field to Turner and then Gibson. As the linebacker covered up Turner and Gibson was covered, Howell scrambled to his right, and Turner reads his quarterback, drifting toward the right sideline, and Howell follows him, unleashing an accurate ball for a completion and a first down.

Here’s the play, courtesy of Mark Tyler.

Impressive stuff — from Howell and Turner.

That’s a big-time play from Howell. He scanned the field, did not panic, and used his legs to buy time while always keeping his eyes downfield. Then, throws a dart to Turner on the move.

As for Turner, he did a really savvy job of staying with his quarterback, a positive for the future of the young tight end and quarterback working together for years to come.

When evaluating some of these young players in the preseason, it’s plays like this that stand out and excite coaches. Fans have reason to be excited, too.

 

5 offensive players to watch for the Commanders in preseason opener vs. Browns

We identified five offensive players to watch for the Commanders Friday.

The Washington Commanders kick off the 2023 preseason Friday with a trip to Cleveland to face the Browns.

Washington’s starters will play. How much? Head coach Ron Rivera wasn’t about to divulge that information this week, but we should assume that starting quarterback Sam Howell and the offense will play at least two series.

One offensive player who will not play is tight end Logan Thomas. The veteran tight end has dealt with a calf injury over the last week. While the injury isn’t believed to be serious, the Commanders aren’t taking any chances with their 32-year-old starter.

Washington has a new offense in 2023 with Eric Bieniemy in charge. What should we expect to see in the preseason opener?

We identify five Washington players to watch in Friday’s preseason opener.