The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2021 offseason practices have long since concluded. Next up for the team is their annual training camp, which should get underway in the latter part of July. Ahead of training camp, we will preview the team’s 90-man roster three players at a time for you as part of a 30-post series. This Steelers 90-man roster preview that includes outlooks for each player goes alphabetically by last name to make it easy to follow along with.
The next three players we will preview today are Trai Turner, Lamont Wade, and Brandon Walton.
G Trai Turner — Turner was a third-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2014. He has 89 career starts under his belt to date and made the Pro Bowl every season from 2015-2019. Last year, Turner was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in March and the 28-year-old guard went on to miss seven of the first eight weeks of the 2020 season due to a groin injury before returning for the stretch run. Turner struggled upon his return, allowing 19 pressures in his nine games played, per Pro Football Focus. He played a career low 536 offensive snaps in 2020 as well. The Steelers signed Turner after this year’s offseason mandatory minicamp concluded and on the heels of the team terminating the contract of veteran guard David DeCastro due to issues he was having with his ankle.
Outlook: The Steelers signed Turner to replace DeCastro at right guard and it is as simple as that. Turner is a better run blocker than he is a pass blocker, and he is an extremely aggressive player at that. The concerns with Turner extend past how he has played on the field as of late because he’s also had problems of late staying healthy for full seasons. With Turner claiming to be past the groin injury that hampered him most of last season, the Steelers will be hoping to see the LSU product return to his Pro Bowl form of a few seasons ago.
S Lamont Wade — Wade, one of the Steelers signed undrafted free agents this year, recorded 153 tackles over four seasons at Penn State, though he only had one interception and 10 passes defensed. Wade played both cornerback and safety during his college career as well. In total, Wade appeared in 47 career games at Penn State, making 22 starts. At his pro day he measured in at 5090, 190-pounds. He ran his 40-yard dash in 4.40-seconds.
Outlook: Wade will more than likely be battling for a practice squad spot during training camp and the preseason. As a safety, he’s better closer to the line of scrimmage than he is away from it. He is very undersized and looks more like a nickel cornerback than he does a safety. We might could see Wade get a shot at playing some nickel during training camp and the preseason. If that happens, and if he excels in that role, it would really help his chances of sticking in Pittsburgh past the final rounds of roster cuts as potentially a practice squad player.
T Brandon Walton — Walton, a Florida Atlantic product who went undrafted in 2020, signed originally with the Buffalo Bills. He initially signed to their practice squad early last season but did not last on it long. After having tryouts with the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks, Walton was signed to the Steelers practice squad in September, and he remained on that unit all season. Walton started 12 games at left tackle in 2019 for FAU and earned first-team All-Conference USA honors. After the season concluded, he participated in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He can play both left and right tackle. He reportedly measured in at 6042, 311-pounds at his 2020 pro day.
Outlook: Walton, who is listed as a tackle on the Steelers roster, will have a huge uphill battle this summer when it comes to sticking around in Pittsburgh past the final rounds of cuts. As a tackle, Walton is a bit undersized so unless he can transition to guard and show position flexibility, it will be hard for him to stick as he certainly isn’t a candidate to make the 53-man roster. During the preseason games and training camp practices, it will be interesting to see if Walton is moved around to different positions. At best, Walton will make the practice squad again to start the season.
Previous Posts In Series
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: DeMarkus Acy, Marcus Allen, Tyson Alualu
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Abdullah Anderson, Kalen Ballage, Zach Banner
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90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Shakur Brown, Isaiah Buggs, Calvin Bundage
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Devin Bush, Rico Bussey, Kameron Canaday
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: T.J. Carter, Demarcus Christmas, Chase Claypool
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Aviante Collins, Rashaad Coward, Anthony Coyle
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90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Kevin Dotson, Eric Ebron, Terrell Edmunds
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Trey Edmunds, B.J. Finney, Minkah Fitzpatrick
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Mark Gilbert
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Ulysees Gilbert III, Joe Haden, Joe Haeg
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Najee Harris, Pressley Harvin III, Dwayne Haskins
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90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Arthur Maulet, Ray-Ray McCloud, Anthony McFarland Jr.
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Isaiah McKoy, Jarvis Miller, Henry Mondeaux
90 In 30: Steelers 2021 Training Camp Preview Series: Dan Moore Jr., Tre Norwood, Chukwuma Okorafor
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