Tag: Trai Turner

6 offensive linemen Saints could target in trades after Trai Turner injury

Offensive line depth is important to the Saints. Here are six options who could be available for trades after Friday’s Trai Turner injury:

Offensive line depth is important to the New Orleans Saints, who took quick action to replace backup guard Billy Price with former Pro Bowler Trai Turner when Price failed his physical. But now they need to replace Turner after he went down with a season-ending injury at Friday’s training camp practice.

It’s more likely that the Saints will look to sign another free agent to compete for the backup job, but here are six options who could be available for trades. Fans would like to think that other teams are willing to give up All-Pro talents for peanuts, but keep in mind that anyone available at this time of the year is likely already on the way out with their current team. Beggars (like the Saints) can’t exactly be choosers.

4 free agents the Saints could sign to replace Trai Turner

The Saints will be without a key depth piece after Trai Turner’s season-ending injury. Here are four free agents they could sign to replace him | @DillySanders

Everyone in New Orleans was excited earlier this week when the Saints decided to bring Trai Turner back to his hometown. The veteran offensive guard was supposed to be a key depth piece for this season, but unfortunately has already been lost for the year due to an injury. Training camp injuries are the worst for many reasons, but this one hurts even more due to the excitement around the signing.

This injury opens up another spot on the roster and depth chart, so the Saints will need to dip back into the free agent pool once again. Here are the four best options available at the guard spot for the Saints to consider:

Report: Trai Turner out for the season after Saints training camp injury

ESPN reports Trai Turner will miss the entire 2023 season after suffering a quadriceps injury in Friday’s Saints training camp practice:

Here’s an update on Trai Turner from New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen. Turner left Friday’s training camp practice with a leg injury after he got tangled up with another player during one-on-one drills, which Allen acknowledged in speaking with the media.

“Trai Turner injured his knee in practice, we’re in the process of determining exactly what that is,” Allen said, noting that other than some heat-related absences the Saints haven’t experienced any significant injuries. Some players like offensive linemen Ryan Ramczyk and Cesar Ruiz were given the day off to rest, but neither of them are actively managing ailments.

Unfortunately, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Turner is out for the year with a torn quadriceps muscle. It’s a tough blow to a Saints offensive line that struggled to stay healthy a season ago, and which has already taken some losses — backup center Billy Price was released before camp started with an undisclosed non-football injury, and Turner was signed to replace him.

Hopefully Turner is able to enjoy a full and speedy recovery even if he won’t be playing this year. He’s an easy guy to root for as a New Orleans native and graduate of St. Augustine High School and LSU, who the Saints have coveted for a long time. We’ll wish him the best in recovery.

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Report: Trai Turner carted off from Saints training camp practice with leg injury

Report: Trai Turner carted off from New Orleans Saints training camp practice with leg injury

Update: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Turner is out for the year with a torn quadriceps muscle.

Injuries are part of the game, but you still hate to see them. NewOrleans.Football’s Brooke Kirchhofer reports right guard Trai Turner was carted off from New Orleans Saints training camp practice with a leg injury.

Kirchhofer quotes a source who said: “Looked like his leg got twisted up in a (one-on-one) drill. They carted him off the field.”

Hopefully this isn’t as bad as it sounds. Turner signed with the Saints on a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum, finally returning to his hometown team after they nearly picked him in the 2014 draft. Instead, the former LSU Tiger was selected by the Carolina Panthers and voted into five Pro Bowls. They could use his experience along the interior line as a backup but that hinges on his health. Stay tuned for updates on his status.

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After nearly landing with the Saints in 2014 NFL draft, Trai Turner finally came home

After nearly landing with the New Orleans Saints in the 2014 NFL draft, Pro Bowl guard and LSU Tiger Trai Turner finally came home in 2023:

Everyone knows the story about the New Orleans Saints nearly drafting Patrick Mahomes, but he’s hardly the only player the Saints have just missed out on. One you might not know about is Trai Turnere — the New Orleans native joined his hometown team for their 2023 training camp, but he was nearly picked by them back in 2014. Things finally came full circle for the St. Augustine graduate and former LSU Tiger.

Former Saints head coach Sean Payton shared the story in an interview with NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill and Mike Triplett last offseason when he was in-between jobs, weighing his options in the media and considering future NFL gigs.

“We were close to drafting the guard from LSU that went to Carolina,” Payton reflected, agreeing the player was Turner when prompted. “We really liked him. I’m just going back through the drafts, obviously I can remember picks, and the selections, sometimes it’s hard to remember who else’s on the board. I remember when we selected Terron Armstead (in 2013), the cloud that year, one of the players in that cloud was the tall quarterback who went to Tampa (Mike Glennon).”

So it’s safe to say Turner is a player the Saints have valued for quite a while, which makes the fact he was picked by Carolina at No. 92 overall — just one slot after the Saints were scheduled to go on the clock at No. 91 — a little more bitter. New Orleans had already traded that selection during the first round so they could move up for Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Had they stood pat in Round 1, Turner could have been theirs for the taking in Round 3.

Instead, Turner enjoyed near-immediate success with the Panthers, being selected for five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2019. Turner was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 and bounced around the league in the years that followed, starting for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders before the Saints came calling.

Now he’s home, and he’s landed in a great spot to compete for a role on New Orleans’ roster. The Saints’ starting guards (Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz) are  both returning from season-ending injuries and their backups don’t have a ton of pro experience to lean on: third-year pro Calvin Throckmorton, second-year reserve Lewis Kidd, plus rookies Nick Saldiveri and Mark Evans II. Turner has a real shot at elbowing his way onto the 53-man roster when cuts are completed in August.

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Veteran OL signings are due to competition, not health-related, says Dennis Allen

The Saints signed multiple linemen, which Dennis Allen says is more about increased quality of competition than the health of Cesar Ruiz and Andrus Peat:

Many fans spent their summer imploring the New Orleans Saints to reinforce the depth chart along the offensive line, and they got their wish on Tuesday: The team announced that veteran guards Trai Turner and Max Garcia would be joining them for training camp.

Turner is a five-time Pro Bowler, while Garcia has logged thousands of snaps in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. They’ll be pushing backups Nick Saldiveri, Calvin Throckmorton, Lewis Kidd and Mark Evans II for snaps in the rotation behind starting guards Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz. That’s a lot of players competing for what may be just two or three spots on the 53-man roster in September, and these heightened stakes are exactly what head coach Dennis Allen sought.

“Again, I mean I sound like a broken record, we’re looking for anything we can add to our football team and make us better,” Allen said with a grin while fielding questions during his pre-training camp press conference, acknowledging that increased competition has been a priority. “We feel like having a lot of competition within the team kind of brings out the best in everybody. Depth, competition, those are all things that we’re looking for.”

When asked whether the recent injury issues for Peat and Ruiz played a part in the search for better interior line depth, Allen responded, “This is not a health-related signing. This is a signing where we felt like there is a veteran player that we can bring in, put into the mix, and then let’s see how the competition plays out.”

Injuries limited Peat to just 11 games last year, and he’s never played a full season in the NFL. After not missing a snap in 2021, Ruiz missed the final three weeks in 2022 after suffering a foot injury that required surgery. Both guards are expected to fully participate in training camp practices, but it doesn’t hurt to have more depth with real pro experience backing them up in case they get banged up again.

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Saints waive two veteran players to make room for new additions

The Saints waived two veteran players to make room for their new additions following pre-training camp tryouts:

We’ve talked plenty about the players the New Orleans Saints signed on Tuesday, all three of which became official on the daily NFL transactions wire: tight end Jimmy Graham is the headliner, but they’ve also brought in depth along the offensive line with guards Trai Turner and Max Garcia.

New Orleans had just one roster spot to spare after releasing backup center Billy Price last week, so some corresponding moves were necessary to fit these new additions underneath the 90-man roster limit. The Saints waived reserve tight end Miller Forristall and backup guard Koda Martin, each of whom arrived this offseason through signing futures contracts with New Orleans after their previous teams chose to not retain them on the practice squad.

Are they finished making moves? No. The Saints regularly cycle in new players throughout training camp to churn the bottom of the depth chart and look for quality backups, so keep an eye out for updates. Odds are any big acquisitions are behind them at this point in the offseason, but you never know.

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Saints add more competition, sign former Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner

ESPN reports that the Saints are adding more competition by signing former Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner, a New Orleans native who starred at LSU:

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This is a good get: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the New Orleans Saints are signing veteran guard Trai Turner after a pre-training camp tryout, though the terms of his one-year contract remain undisclosed. Turner earned $3 million on each of his last two one-year deals with the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers, so this is likely falling somewhere similar.

Durability has been a major concern along New Orleans’ interior offensive line. Left guard Andrus Peat has never played a full season, center Erik McCoy has missed multiple games in each of the last two years, and right guard Cesar Ruiz is returning from a season-ending injury. The team signed Billy Price to back them up this offseason but he was released after failing his physical.

Hopefully Turner can help settle things inside. He’ll be competing for the top backup spot with third-year pro Calvin Throckmorton as well as rookie fourth-round pick Nick Saldiveri, with another reserve (Lewis Kidd) and highly-paid rookie free agent (Mark Evans II) also in the mix.

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Saints hosting former Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner on free agent visit

ESPN reports the Saints are hosting five-time Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner on a free agent visit on the eve of training camp, potentially adding depth to the offensive line:

The New Orleans Saints are hosting five-time Pro Bowl right guard Trai Turner for a free agent visit on the eve of training camp, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Turner, 30, is a New Orleans native who rose to prominence in recruiting circles at St. Augustine High School and played college football at LSU.

Turner went on to start 118 games in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers (who drafted him in the third round back in 2014), Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and most recently the Washington Commanders. Last year, Pro Football Focus charting found he allowed just 22 pressures (2 sacks) and was penalized four times on 431 snaps in pass protection. For context, the player he’d be competing with in New Orleans, Calvin Throckmorton, was charged with yielding 18 pressures (3 sacks) and five penalties on 163 fewer reps.

Depth is the most pressing concern for this Saints team. They have the top-end talent to compete with anyone, but the backups and reserves aren’t quite up to par after waves of free agents left the team in recent years without being replaced by quality draft picks.

Adding Turner would do a lot to settle concerns at offensive guard. Andrus Peat has never played a full season and Cesar Ruiz ended his promising 2022 campaign with an injury. Their initial backup, Throckmorton, led the team in false start penalties. You’d think James Hurst would fill in at guard once Trevor Penning is starting at left tackle, but Penning’s own injury issues cloud the picture. Having Turner ready to go into a game if Peat or Ruiz goes down would be nice.

And the Saints can afford him. Turner has earned about $3 million from the Commanders and Steelers on one-year deals in the last few years, which the Saints can easily fit on their books (they’re under the salary cap by more than $13.3 million). If Turner is interested in coming home and the Saints are willing to meet his reasonable contract demands, it’s a team-up that makes too much sense not to happen.

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The NFL’s best available free agents as training camps begin

As training camps begin, and the preseason is nearly upon us, here are the best free agent players left in the NFL.

Rookies and veterans are reporting to training camps around the NFL, which means that our long national nightmare of life without professional football is nearly over. Yay, but for a lot of veterans in the league, there’s still an element of waiting by the phone to hear from their agents regarding interests from NFL teams.

Not every veteran — even veterans who are still playing at a high level — have homes when training camps start. A lot of the players listed below will find those homes before preseason games begin in early August, and some will have to wait longer. (Yes, there are veterans who would prefer to eschew training camp entirely, and that has something to do with it).

So, as we head into the pre-preseason, here are the best players who, at this point, are still looking for their new NFL destinations.