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LA Chargers: 3 players who could be surprisingly cut in 2021

By Alexander Insdorf

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 12: Casey Hayward #26 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts to an interception by Nasir Adderley #24 against the New Orleans Saints during their NFL game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 12, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 12: Casey Hayward #26 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts to an interception by Nasir Adderley #24 against the New Orleans Saints during their NFL game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 12, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) – LA Chargers
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) – LA Chargers /

Potential LA Chargers’ surprise cut: Trai Turner

Maybe now it isn’t as surprising, but the popular thought at the time of the Russell Okung trade was that the Chargers decisively were the winners. After just one season, Trai Turner may have played his last snap as a Charger. $11.3 million is about how much Los Angeles could save by cutting the former Pro Bowl right guard.

Turner got off to a bad start in the 2020 season when an injury kept him out against the Bengals. He played the following week against Kansas City but then missed six straight games with a groin injury. My thought at the time was that it was a shame that we didn’t get to see Turner healthy. I just hoped to see a late-season push from him after the return to determine his future.

There were flashes from Turner like some of the energy he showed in the Raiders game. More often than not though, he was a liability. He was third to last on the offensive line in pass-blocking efficiency:

Pass blocking efficiency rankings:1. Dan Feeney2. Bryan Bulaga3. Forrest Lamp4. Sam Tevi4. Cole Toner (tied)5. Trai Turner6. Storm Norton7. Trey Pipkins https://t.co/7TeoV6To1U

— Tyler Schoon (@tylerjschoon) January 4, 2021

With Turner barely beating out Storm Norton and Trey Pipkins as a blocker, it was a disastrous season for him. Can the Chargers justify giving $11 million on the hope that he turns it around next year?

After watching some of Turner’s Carolina tape, he looked rather slow this season in comparison. Some of that might be his groin injury, but some of it could also just be his body wearing down over time. It happens to a lot of linemen in the league.

Compared to what the expectations were for Turner in stabilizing the right guard position, it’s surprising that we’re talking about him as a cut candidate just a little over a year since that trade. Perhaps he’s the easiest cut decision to make now, but it’s just a total disappointment compared to what many Chargers fans thought they had in him.

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