Cincinnati Bengals need to add Trai Turner to the offensive line

The biggest weakness on the offensive side of the ball for the Cincinnati Bengals is their offensive line and while they’ve made it a point to revamp it in free agency, improvements could still be made. A free agent the Bengals need to attempt to sign is Trai Turner.

Turner, who the Bengals expressed interest in earlier in the offseason, is still available to sign and just finished visiting with the Pittsburgh Steelers. A former third-round pick out of LSU by the Panthers, Turner played for Carolina for six years and went to the Chargers for the 2020 season where he didn’t live up to expectations there, appearing in just nine games.

That being said, Turner has made it known that he’s at 100% entering the 2021 season while he’s still searching for a new NFL team. The quote below is from Kevin Patra of NFL.com.

"“I’m back at 100 percent,” he said. “Last year was a rough season for me with injuries and just overall COVID. But hey, you know, you go through things and situations arise, but you work it and you get through it. So, I’m feeling good. I’m just ready to come back and have a phenomenal season.”"

At this point, what do the Bengals have to lose by signing Turner? They need help on their offensive line and Turner is arguably the best available option remaining in free agency.

The Cincinnati Bengals could really use Trai Turner on their offensive line.

As of now, the Bengals are planning to use Jackson Carman at one of the two guard spots, likely right guard, which is where Turner has played for pretty much his entire career. If the Bengals signed him, they could either play him there and move Carman or move Turner over to left guard, which is the remaining battle taking place this summer.

Quinton Spain and Xavier Su’a-Filo are the two main ones to watch out for when it comes to the left guard job but there’s no debating that Turner would be an upgrade over both of them as well as Carman. Turner’s experience, especially at right guard, would greatly benefit the Bengals and this is why they should be looking to sign him.

Considering the two reportedly met earlier in the offseason and didn’t come to any sort of agreement isn’t a great sign, but what’s there to lose this late in the game? Get the deal done, Cincinnati.