Is Trai Turner really the best option to replace David DeCastro for Steelers?

The Steelers recently cut David DeCastro to sign another Pro Bowl guard. However, is Trai Turner the best option for Pittsburgh? 

For many, the news of David DeCastro’s release came as a huge surprise. They didn’t understand why DeCastro was let go until it was later revealed that he needed to undergo yet another ankle surgery. However, bringing in former Pro Bowl offensive guard Trai Turner prior to DeCastro’s release should have been a huge red flag.

When DeCastro was still with the team, I wrote about how the visit with Turner was bad news for the Steelers offensive lineman, and that DeCastro’s injuries were likely worse than we thought. It turns out, there was a lot of truth to that, and when DeCastro was officially cut, I fully expected the team to sign Trai Turner right away.

Though saddened at his release, Steelers fans were ecstatic on social media when the team was able to land Turner, and many thought the 5-time Pro Bowl guard would be an instant upgrade over an ailing David DeCastro. However, I wouldn’t be too quick to jump to that conclusion.

What many fans don’t realize is that – despite being three years younger than DeCastro with five Pro Bowls under his belt – Turner graded out as the second-worst guard in all of football last season, according to Pro Football Focus. His 34.8 overall grade was shamefully bad, and his run-block grade of 29.8 was worse than any qualifying offensive lineman in football last year.

While this was just one season, Turner’s grades have been progressively trending in the wrong direction over the last four seasons until plummeting down as one of the worst-ranked offensive linemen in football last year. Additionally, Turner hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season since 16, and his health is also a big concern.

Is Trai Turner the best option at RG for Steelers?

It’s unreasonable to expect Turner to magically return to the player he was 4-6 years ago. Though he was quite impressive in the first several seasons of his career, those days could be past him thanks to injuries that have mounted up over the years. Instead, it may be more reasonable to hope that he can simply be on par with an ailing David DeCastro. But is he the best option out there at right guard for the Steelers?

It’s evident that teams didn’t think very highly of Turner as he not only sat in the free-agent market until late June, but he also signed for just $3 million dollars, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. This is closer to high-end backup money than anything else. Because of this, Pittsburgh may not have been thrilled with the choices out there.

In free agency, the most notable available guards are Nick Easton, James Carpenter, J.R. Sweezy, and Mike Iupati. Easton has always been just a serviceable part-time starter while the others are all approaching their mid 30’s and aren’t the players they used to be. With the lack of quality options in free agency, the Steelers would be forced to look for a trade partner in order to find an option better than Turner. Something like that is incredibly unlikely at this point.

Like it or not, Trai Turner is set to be the Steelers starting right guard to replace David DeCastro in 2021. Turner might have been dreadful last season, but we need to hope that he can stay healthy and bounce back with a solid performance this year in Pittsburgh.