Scott

Turner

Though Turner and Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand are both only 42 years old, the new coaching duo combines for an impressive understudy resume. Turner’s resume boasts names like Ron Rivera, his father Norv Turner and Jim Harbaugh. Engstrand has likewise studied under Harbaugh, and most recently helped new Bears head coach Ben Johnson produce a highly efficient Lions passing attack over the last two seasons. Turner and Engstrand make for a formidable pairing.

Turner and the rest of the Raiders’ staff aren’t likely to make it past the end of the season, so he should be available when the time comes for Belichick to fill out his team. He took over the offensive coordinator gig just over a month ago after the Raiders fired Luke Getsy. Turner was previously serving as the team’s pass game coordinator. Assuming the Raiders do clean house at the end of the season, we fully expect Turner to take a job in Chapel Hill to work under Belichick.

Turner was the Commanders offensive coordinator for three years, during which the team had the following players play quarterback: Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Garrett Gilbert, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sam Howell, and Carson Wentz. The Wentz trade eventually shifted the Commanders into a pure run-the-ball team, but before that Turner was a short-pass maestro. It’s hard to see how this changes the offense with (likely) Desmond Ridder in tow at quarterback — we’d bet they remain as conservative as ever. Perhaps Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers get a few more open looks per game than they had been getting under Luke Getsy.

Turner, 72, last worked as an offensive coordinator for the Panthers in 2019, when Carolina ranked 29th in points per game and 24th in yards per game. Turner will reportedly help guide the lifeless Raiders offense alongside his son, Scott Turner, who will serve as the team’s new offensive coordinator after the Raiders fired OC Luke Getsy this week. This is Turner’s second stint with the Raiders; he was the team’s head coach from 2004-2005. He’ll try to turn around a Vegas offense that ranks dead last in EPA per play and 25th in offensive success rate. It’s unclear who will be the team’s starting QB under Turner.

As expected, Turner was announced as the team’s pass-game coordinator shortly after this report. Turner was with the Commanders as their offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022. He was fired at the end of the most recent season after failing to salvage Carson Wentz’s career or make anything of Taylor Heinicke. Washington ranked 24th in points per game in 2022 and never cracked the top 20 in Turner’s three seasons with the team. He did, however, give his quarterbacks the benefits of pre-snap motion and play-action at high rates, though the play-to-play decisions he made left a lot to be desired. A role that doesn’t see him calling plays in Las Vegas should allow the Raiders to get the most out of Turner.

Turner’s offense finished 28th in offensive DVOA in 2022. He again was weighted down with a bad quarterback in Carson Wentz, one that forced the Commanders to turn to Taylor Heinicke yet again. Turner’s offensive philosophy is not a bad one and he finally had enough wideouts to stress the defense this past season. He could resurface elsewhere in the NFL as an OC soon enough, but someone had to fall on the sword for this offense after three years without an empirical breakthrough.

In Turner’s first two seasons in Washington, the then-Football Team finished 21st and 32nd in Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA. The caveat to the stat is that he hasn’t had a real quarterback to work with yet, but of course he will now be tied down with Carson Wentz so life isn’t getting easier. Turner hasn’t necessarily done a bad job with what he’s had to work with, but an extension also feels generous given the statistical output.

The writing was on the wall once Rivera allowed OC Kevin O’Connell to talk to other teams while still under contract. Turner, of course, served as Rivera’s QBs coach next to his father Norv Turner with the Panthers until being promoted to offensive coordinator following the former duo’s in-season firing. The 37-year-old then added his own wrinkles into the offense to close the year, in particular stretching Curtis Samuel’s role to include backfield touches. Browns QBs coach Ken Zampese is expected to join Rivera and Turner in a similar role with Washington in the coming days.

Turner, of course, served as Ron Rivera’s QBs coach in Carolina prior to the latter’s midseason firing. Incumbent OC Kevin O’Connell is still thought of as the favorite, though obviously Turner’s existing relationship with Rivera, who was introduced as the Redskins’ coach Thursday, can’t be discounted. Turner won’t be retained by Carolina—whoever the Panthers choose as their new coach will hire his own staff—though the up-and-comer should land on his feet as a coordinator elsewhere.

OC Norv Turner, who is Scott’s father, will “transition to special assistant to the head coach.” Basically, the Panthers are giving 37-year-old Scott a tryout for the final four games of the year after firing head coach Ron Rivera. Both father and son figure to now be looking for work after the season, though stranger things have happened. The new coach could be asked to retain the Turners. Norv has not been the problem in Carolina.