The Chargers made a slew of acquisitions this offseason, including trading for guard Trai Turner from the Panthers to upgrade the interior part of the offensive line.
Even though they had to ship away tackle Russell Okung, a key piece of the line the past few seasons, Los Angeles was still pegged as the clear cut winner of the trade.
NFL Media’s Gil Brandt went through all of the trades this offseason and the addition of Turner was ranked among the top-10, coming in as the ninth-best.
With the Panthers and new coach Matt Rhule remaking the roster in Carolina, the Chargers were able to grab this five-time Pro Bowler to shore up their offensive line, which also stands to receive a boost from veteran free agent Bryan Bulaga. Getting stronger up front is paramount if this team is going to give rookie quarterback Justin Herbert a good shot at developing, whenever he ultimately takes the field.
Turner, the former third-round draft pick, has developed into one of the premiere interior offensive lineman in the league, making five straight Pro Bowls, missing the accolade in only his rookie season. Turner’s played in 84 games (80 of which he started) since entering the league in 2014.
Even though there are concerns with the left side of the offensive line, the right side with Turner, center Mike Pouncey and tackle Bryan Bulaga will help in pass protection for Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert and the running game for Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley.
