Denver Broncos: Billy Turner re-signs, will compete at RT

The Denver Broncos have re-signed offensive lineman Billy Turner, who has worked as a tackle and a guard in his pro career…

The Denver Broncos have re-signed offensive lineman Billy Turner, according to multiple media reports as well as a report directly from Turner himself.

Turner is a player the Broncos have invested in since the 2016 season when he was let go by the Miami Dolphins, then by the Baltimore Ravens, and claimed off of waivers.

When Denver claimed him off of waivers from Baltimore in 2016, he ended up playing in three games that season.

This past year, he contributed some as a right tackle before going down with a season-ending wrist injury. Prior to his wrist injury, Turner hadn’t proven himself overly effective in pass protection, though he was solid in the running game.

The Broncos have some competition at right tackle, with Menelik Watson still on the roster as well as the Broncos’ week 17 starter at the position, Cyrus Kouandjio.

All of Turner, Watson, and Kouandjio are former relatively high draft picks from extremely successful collegiate programs that have been unable to put together anything consistently at the professional level.

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According to a report from Nicki Jhabvala, the deal for Turner is a one-year pact.

It makes sense for the Broncos to bring back some familiar competition for the upcoming season. They have thus far not shown any interest in bringing anyone in from the outside, at least not anyone who is going to cost them a ton of money.

There were reports that the Broncos were interested in Nate Solder early on in free agency, but those were proven false, or the Broncos’ level of interest was not nearly what it was originally reported.

The return of Turner is a positive sign for what the Broncos must believe about their player development with this coaching staff. Even though Turner hasn’t proven much on the field, they must see enough in practices to believe that he is good enough to be given a chance.

This move likely wouldn’t prevent the Broncos from pursuing additional right tackle help via the 2018 NFL Draft.