PITTSBURGH — Signed just a day after the Pittsburgh Steelers released longtime right guard David DeCastro, Pro Bowl lineman Trai Turner isn’t viewing himself as a direct replacement of DeCastro. Instead, he sees himself as one part of Pittsburgh’s rebuilt offensive line.
“I just look at it like it’s a new era, a different time, different place,” Turner said Sunday. “Everything has an expiration date at some point. DeCastro is a great player, and I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m replacing him, I’m just the new right guard.
“I’m going to be the best Trai Turner I can be. I’ve been that since I was born June 14, 1993. That’s never changed. I’m not trying to emulate or be somebody else. I’m not taking place of nobody else, I’m not replacing anything. I’m coming in, and I’m setting the tone for who I am and for what I do.”
Though he’s only been a Steeler for a month, Turner, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract in June, is the most veteran of the projected starting offensive linemen, with seven seasons under his belt. The four other projected starters on the line — Chukwuma Okorafor, Kendrick Green, Kevin Dotson and Zach Banner — have just 24 combined NFL starts. Only one of those starts was at the position where the player is projected to line up this season.
Even after observing just a handful of camp practices, offensive coordinator Matt Canada saw the immediate benefit of bringing in a veteran offensive lineman like Turner.
“He had a mistake today that I didn’t see on the side. As we worked he came up and knew what it was and said it right away,” Canada said Saturday. “Obviously a veteran like him who’s played as well as he has, I think we’re very fortunate to have him and really like where he’s at. And he’s worked very hard to not have those mistakes, and to be as efficient as he has been in three days is really a real positive for us and him. Big fan of him.”
In the four days of training camp, Turner’s linemates have shifted frequently. Both Okorafor and Dotson have only done individual work, while Banner is slowly working into the rotation as he continues recovering from torn ACL in last year’s season-opener.
Even Green missed a full day of practice, excused Saturday by coach Mike Tomlin for personal reasons. But Turner, who feels healthy after an injury-riddled 2020 season, sees the benefits in the constant turnover this early in camp.
“It’s camp so you’ve got to embrace it,” Turner said. “Not only do I have to get used to new guys, they have to get used to me. I think it’s more of a positive than a negative that more people are in than not because you don’t know who’s available at all times.
“Sometimes you just have to make sure you have continuity with everyone and I think that’s what we’re getting. Just embracing it and hope everyone gets healthy soon and be back to full strength.”