Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Michael Turner's fate
By Tim Kavanagh
As the end of the Atlanta Falcons' 2012 run approached, there has been speculation regarding the future of TE Tony Gonzalez -- who may retire -- as well as RB Michael Turner. Though Turner has one year (and $5.5 million) left on his contract, there is an increasing sense that he'll be cut this offseason.
"The Falcons seem committed to running back by committee," Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. "That's fine. But the committee can't include Turner. He confirmed their pre-season fears that he had worn dead with a career-low average of 3.6 yards per carry. He ran well against Seattle [Ed. note: in the divisional round of the playoffs] but that was the exception. Jacquizz Rodgers is a keeper, but the offense needs a better running threat."
There are some intriguing names hitting the RB market this offseason, including Reggie Bush, Rashard Mendenhall, Cedric Benson and Peyton Hillis. It's unclear whether the Falcons will target any of those players, though getting Turner off the books could give them some extra cap space with which to work. Another idea is that they could target a replacement in the draft, and could do so on Day 2 and 3 after investing in defensive help on opening night.
