LA Chargers: Four potential options to replace Trai Turner
LA Chargers’ potential replacement for Trai Turner: Cole Toner
The options I’ve listed so far fall into three broad categories. High price OL signing, shorter-term OL signing, and the draft are three avenues through which the Chargers could find a right guard. They could also look in-house as a fourth option.
Cole Toner wasn’t the starting right guard last season, but he did take a significant amount of snaps. On nearly 300 snaps, Toner registered zero sacks and ten pressures allowed. For someone who was just supposed to be depth, that’s not too shabby.
Whenever he was playing in place of Turner, Toner was the offensive lineman I was usually least worried about. Still, there’s a difference between playing 300 snaps and playing the 1000+ snaps that Toner would be expected to play at right guard.
There’s probably going to be one spot that’s considered weaker on the offensive line even if that Chargers do pursue high-quality upgrades. For example, signing Corey Linsley, Thuney, and drafting a tackle still leaves right guard open. Placing Toner in between those types of guys is much less concerning than placing him with the likes of Dan Feeney, Forrest Lamp, and Sam Tevi.
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I have my issues with putting Toner at starting right guard, but it could make sense if the Chargers make the right moves at the other spots on the offensive line. That is a rather large if though, given Telesco’s history.