Steelers replacing DeCastro with Turner isn’t a slam dunk
By Andrew Falce
While the Steelers were quick to sign Turner after releasing DeCastro, on paper, this doesn’t seem like as good of a deal as one would think.
In shocking fashion, the Steelers decided to part ways with former all-pro-offensive guard David DeCastro on Thursday. While there was no clear reasoning for the move, the assumption was that DeCastro was either too expensive or was too injured to be counted on this season. The team quickly followed that up by signing Trai Turner to replace him. While this move is being praised by most, it isn’t as big of a slam dunk as some would make it seem.
While Turner has an impressive array of Pro Bowls to his name, his last two seasons haven’t been great. His 2020 season was marred with injuries which led to him posting a miserable 34.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. He was healthier in 2019 and had a much more respectable grade of 63.9, but he was also credited with giving up six sacks. In reference, last season DeCastro had a grade of 64.1 despite playing injured for most of the season.
Now, if DeCastro was too injured to play this year, moving on from him would make sense. Sure, injured reserve is an option, but with his contract expiring next season and the team likely facing a rebuild, the odds of him returning weren’t great. He wasn’t released with any clear injury designation though, and he hasn’t made any comments about retiring, so on paper, it seems like he intends to play in 2021. This makes this move that much more puzzling.
The Steelers had a better player in DeCastro
Assuming his health was ok, the Steelers had a far superior player in DeCastro. Even when injured for most of last year, he still played at a fair level. Compare that to Turner, who was horrible in his injury-riddled season with the Chargers. Push comes to shove, Turner is a fine player, but he isn’t close to the type of player DeCastro was.
As well, this line suffered quite a bit of turnover this offseason. Maurkice Pouncey retired, Alejandro Villanueva left for the Ravens, and now DeCastro is off the roster as well. For a team that wanted to improve the run game, completely rebuilding the line with mostly unproven players seems like the wrong approach. For those expecting Najee Harris to be one of the best backs in the league this season, his odds of doing so just took a major hit with DeCastro’s departure.
Yes, there is a level of cap savings here, but it isn’t extensive. DeCastro saved the Steelers a net 8.75 million while Turner signed a deal for just three million, meaning the team essentially saved 5.75 million not assuming any roster displacement. That money can help in other areas, but it isn’t like the team can suddenly afford a huge cap hit because of it.
As a player, Turner has had quite a deal of success. That said, his past two seasons haven’t been anything special. He currently amounts it to some lingering injuries that are now gone, but if they pop back up in 2021 the Steelers line will be significantly worse for it. Turner was the best pure guard on the market, but that doesn’t mean he is a better fit for the Steelers than DeCastro assuming DeCastro plays in 2021.
To be clear, the Steelers did just about what they had to at this point with the DeCastro situation. It is just frustrating that the team waited so long to address this issue. The draft had plenty of quality guard options while the earlier free agency period had a handful of talented and less injury-prone guards the Steelers could have signed. Instead, they waited until June and now have a worse line to show for it. This entire process is a puzzling one, and it certainly doesn’t make the team any closer to being a Super Bowl team in 2021.
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Unless Turner is playing for next to nothing or DeCastro ends up retiring or is too injured to play this season, this move is a hard one to understand. The Steelers are in a win-now approach, and cutting your best offensive lineman is a nonsensical move. Turner is a fine player, but he isn’t to the caliber that a healthy DeCastro is. Until more news comes up about DeCastro’s plans, the trade-off between DeCastro and Turner is hard to like.