Trai Turner

Trai Denzell Turner (born June 14, 1993) is an American football offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, where he made the Pro Bowl every year from 2015 to 2019. Turner has also played for the Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Washington Commanders.

Not to be confused with Trea Turner.

Trai Turner
refer to caption
Turner with the Washington Commanders in 2022
No. 59 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Offensive guard
Personal information
Born: (1993-06-14) June 14, 1993
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Augustine (New Orleans)
College:LSU (2011–2013)
NFL Draft:2014 / Round: 3 / Pick: 92
Career history
Roster status:Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Games played:126
Games started:118
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

High school career

Turner attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He played offensive tackle for their football team, helping St. Augustine average over 300 yards rushing a game.[1]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Trai Turner
OG		 New Orleans, LA St. Augustine 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 345 lb (156 kg) 5.10 Feb 2, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 76
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 16 (OG)   Rivals: 14 (OG), 13 (LA)  ESPN: 49 (DE)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2011 LSU Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "2011 LSU Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.

College career

Turner attended Louisiana State University (LSU) from 2011 to 2013. After redshirting as a freshman in 2011, he played in 12 games and made seven starts as a redshirt freshman.[2] He made his first start at right guard in a win over number 3 ranked South Carolina.[2] In 559 snaps, Turner finished 2nd on the team with 51 pancake blocks.[2] LSU had a 100-yard rusher from four of the seven games in which Turner started. In his redshirt sophomore year, Turner started and played in all 13 games.

In his final collegiate game at the 2014 Outback Bowl, Turner registered a season-high 10 pancake blocks and helped pave the way for 220 rushing yards against Iowa in a win.[2] For his career, Turner played a total of 1,416 snaps with 115 pancake blocks.[2] He opted to forgo final two years of eligibility at LSU and entered into the 2014 NFL Draft after his sophomore season.[3][4]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2+5⁄8 in
(1.90 m)		 310 lb
(141 kg)		 34 in
(0.86 m)		 9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		4.93 s1.80 s2.89 s4.77 s8.16 s27.5 in
(0.70 m)		8 ft 6 in
(2.59 m)		25 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[5][6]

Carolina Panthers
Turner playing for the Carolina Panthers in 2016.

Turner was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.[7] On June 4, 2014, Turner signed a four-year contract.[8] As a rookie, during the preseason, Turner won the starting right guard position on the Panther offensive line over veteran Chris Scott.[8] Turner made his NFL debut on September 7, 2014, in Carolina's 20–14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[9] Turner made his first NFL start during the Panthers week 5 victory over the Chicago Bears. His emergence into the starting lineup helped the Panthers rank seventh in the NFL in rushing, including a league-leading 975 yards over the last five games.[10] On December 23, 2014, Turner was named to Sports Illustrated All-Rookie Team.[11] Through 618 snaps in the season, Turner did not allow a single sack and Turner surrendered just 11 quarterback disruptions.[11]

Through the first three games of the 2015 season, he did not allow a sack and surrendered just three quarterback pressures. Turner had not allowed a sack for the past 627 snaps, the third-longest streak in the NFL at left guard. Turner was selected for his first career Pro Bowl during the season.[12] On September 6, 2016, Turner became the first solo offensive lineman since Nate Newton to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.[13] Turner played in Super Bowl 50.[14]

Turner started all 16 games in 2016, earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl. On July 20, 2017, Turner signed a four-year, $45 million contract extension with $20.5 million guaranteed.[15] He started 13 games in 2017 before missing the final three games with a concussion. He returned in the wild card round of the playoffs, playing in every offensive snap as the Panthers lost 31–26 to the Saints. Turner was named to his third straight Pro Bowl as an injury replacement.[16] Turner started 13 games in 2018, missing Week 2 and 3 with a concussion and Week 17 with an ankle injury. He also was named to his fourth straight Pro Bowl. He started 13 games in 2019, missing three due to injury. Furthermore, Turner was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl.

Los Angeles Chargers

Turner was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for Russell Okung on March 18, 2020.[17] He started nine games at right guard before being released on March 12, 2021.[18]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Turner signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on June 25, 2021.[19]

Washington Commanders

Turner signed a one-year contract with the Washington Commanders on May 3, 2022.[20] He was named the starting right guard by the start of the 2022 season. In Week 4, Turner was benched in favor of Saahdiq Charles with head coach Ron Rivera stating "Trai isn't quite where he needs to be yet" following the end of the game.[21] After playing in a reserve role for three games straight, Turner returned as a starter in Week 8.[22]

New Orleans Saints

On July 25, 2023, Turner signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.[23] He suffered a torn quad three days later and was ruled out for the season.[24] He was placed on injured reserve three days later.[25]

References
  1. "Trai Turner Football Bio @ St. Augustine High School - nola.com". highschoolsports.nola.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010.
  2. "Trai Turner Bio - LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics". www.lsusports.net. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014.
  3. LSU OL Trai Turner intends to enter NFL draft
  4. LSU guard Trai Turner leaving Tigers for NFL draft
  5. "Trai Turner Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  6. "2014 Draft Scout Trai Turner, LSU NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  7. Henson, Max (May 9, 2014). "Panthers draft G Turner in third round". Panthers.com. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  8. Trai Turner Rotoworld NFL Player Page
  9. "Panthers 20, Buccaneers 14". Panthers.com. September 7, 2014.
  10. "Carolina Panthers bio". Panthers.com.
  11. "Derek Carr, Odell Beckham Jr., Aaron Donald headline All-Rookie Team". SI.com. December 23, 2014.
  12. "ESPN reveals Carolina Panthers most underrated player". 247Sports.com. July 8, 2016.
  13. @mitchgoldich (September 6, 2016). "An @SInow cover for Trai Turner..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. "Super Bowl 50 - Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers - February 7th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  15. Sessler, Marc (July 20, 2017). "Trai Turner agrees to four-year Panthers extension". NFL.com.
  16. "Graham Gano, Trai Turner named to Pro Bowl roster". Panthers.com. January 10, 2018.
  17. "Los Angeles Chargers Acquire Five-Time Pro Bowl Guard Trai Turner". Chargers.com. March 18, 2020.
  18. "Trai Turner and Malik Jefferson Released". Chargers.com. March 12, 2021.
  19. Varley, Teresa (June 25, 2021). "Steelers sign Turner". Steelers.com. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  20. Selby, Zach (May 3, 2022). "Commanders sign 5-time Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner". Commanders.com. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  21. Hailey, Peter (October 6, 2022). "Charles, Turner and Washington's changing of the (right) guard". NBCSports.com.
  22. Selby, Zach (December 1, 2022). "Practice report | Washington's offensive line has been 'fantastic' during Commanders' winning streak". Commanders.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  23. Brooks, Jesse (July 24, 2023). "Saints sign former Pro Bowl guard and NOLA native Trai Turner to one-year deal". www.fox8live.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  24. Alper, Josh (July 28, 2023). "Trai Turner out for year with torn quad". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  25. "Saints' Trai Turner: Lands on IR". CBSSports.com. July 31, 2023.
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