2015 Dolphins grades: Billy Turner

The Miami Dolphins offensive line in 2015 was horrible. The guard spot was specifically bad and questions about their future on the roster remain. Billy Turner was the highest rated guard in 2015 but that really amounted to little.

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Billy Turner – guard

2016 salary – $816,000

Billy Turner will be cheap in 2016 and because of that he will likely stick around. Turner has some potential but he really needs to be coached properly. Something he hasn’t received yet at the NFL level. In 2015 Turner saw 787 offensive snaps but was particularly bad against the run. According to ProfootballFocus.com, Turner graded out at an abysmal 26 in run blocking. His pass blocking was substantially higher at 64 but still way below the league average.

Overall Turner was given a rank of 69 and was given an overall grade of just 44. To think that is the best guard the Dolphins had last year is the exclamation point to the offensive line play. 2016 is going to be his final shot and in reality, that shot may have already passed as the team is reportedly targeting two starting caliber guards this off-season. Miami believed that the physically talented and mean streak guard could become a starter at this level. They haven’t seen that from him yet.

To be fair, as fair could be, Turner didn’t play his rookie season making last year his first season in the NFL on the field. Still, guard is a plug-n-play position and Turner couldn’t make the most of his season long opportunity.

2015 grade – D

Why a “D”?

Turner get’s a D grade for the season simply because he was far better than Dallas Thomas and no one deserves to be in the same class as Thomas.

Keep him or let him go?

The Dolphins are still going to need depth at guard next year and they lack offensive line depth at all of the positions, to say nothing of quality. Turner could get better with a better system and coaching staff but the Dolphins have a line coach, Chris Foerster, who doesn’t have a strong track record in the NFL with various stops and average to below average production.

It’s worth keeping Turner for now and allowing him to grow another year before making a decision on his future.