Getty Trai Turner #70 of the Carolina Panthers warms-up before the start of the game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Hours before the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft kicked off, there were rumblings that the New York Giants were sneaky contenders to move up and select Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell were he to make it past the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 5.
Sewell did slip past the Bengals. However, it was the Detroit Lions who ultimately opted to move up and secure the services of the former Outland Trophy winner. As for the Giants, they moved in the opposite direction, trading back for the first time in the Dave Gettleman era. Big Blue collected future draft capital in the process. Yet, what they didn’t collect was more protection for quarterback Daniel Jones. The team failed to add a single offensive lineman with any of their six selections.
While the decision to avoid the position group altogether has left some fans and experts puzzled, the fact of the matter is that the majority of New York’s o-line is already filled — that is aside from the right guard position left vacant by cap causality Kevin Zeitler.
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Giants Continue to be Linked to Guard Trai Turner
The Giants appear destined to enter training camp with fourth-year pro Will Hernandez and veteran signee Zach Fulton duking it out for the right guard spot. However, NJ Advance Media’s Zack Rosenblatt recently noted that the G-Men could still target free agent Trai Turner as an upgrade at the position.
“If the Giants are going to add some legitimate competition for their current group of guards, Turner probably makes the most sense as a potential upgrade among the still-available free agents,” Rosenblatt wrote. “The Giants have been tied to him since the Chargers cut him early in free agency, and it make sense: Dave Gettleman drafted him with the Panthers in 2014 and he proved to be one of his best-ever draft picks, making five straight Pro Bowls from 2015-19. He had a rough season in 2020, missing seven games due to injury and finishing with far-and-away his worst-ever PFF grade (34.8, 129th out 132 guards).”
For what it’s worth, Rosenblatt is just the latest in a laundry list of analysts and outlets to link the two parties. For instance, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently listed Turner atop a list of free-agents Giants should pursue.
Turner’s Reported Asking Price is Feasible, But Giants May Wait
The fit here is quite obvious as the team currently has no sure thing at the right guard position. Hernandez has never played the position in his career. As for Fulton, the former Houston Texan allowed 11 sacks last season — most amongst NFL guards, per PFF.
Turner has certainly seen his play take a hit in recent years. Yet, this is still a player who once appeared in five consecutive Pro Bowls and remains just 27 years of age. If Turner can regain his footing in East Rutherford, the Giants could stumble upon a monstrous steal.
“If he’s healthy, though, Turner would certainly be a welcomed addition to a guard group that currently only has Shane Lemieux, Will Hernandez and Zach Fulton as potential starters,” Rosenblatt added. “None of those three showed enough in 2020 to believe they can reach Turner’s heights. At this point in free agency, Turner likely wouldn’t cost much either.”
The price tag attached to Turner will certainly pale in comparison to the $45 million extension he inked with the Panthers back in 2017. However, it appears as if the former third-round pick’s asking price likely remains out of New York’s price range at this time, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.
Was speaking to an NFL exec for a different story, but Trai Turner came up. He said Turner is still asking for $2-3M. Not sure how interested the Giants are, but that is likely out of their price range if they are.
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