Steelers Targeting Veteran After Releasing DeCastro: Report

The Pittsburgh Steelers may already have already decided on a replacement for David DeCastro.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports the Steelers have been in talks with veteran Trai Turner, who "proclaimed himself 100% healthy" during a recent visit, prior to Pittsburgh releasing DeCastro on Thursday (June 24).

"A potential David DeCastro replacement could be on the way: Source said the #Steelers are having talks with free agent G Trai Turner," Rapoport tweeted. "No deal yet. But he did visit recently and proclaimed himself 100% healthy."

Turner, a five-time former Pro Bowler, spent his first six seasons with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 and starting nine games.

The Steelers announced the release of DeCastro on Thursday afternoon.

"David was without a doubt one of the premier offensive linemen during his time with us," said General Manager and Vice President Kevin Colbert said in a statement on Steelers.com. "He helped us win a lot of football games, but it was David's consistency, reliability and professionalism that stood out more than anything else. We wish him the best moving forward in his career."

DeCastro, a unanimous All-American and two-time first-team All-Pac-12 lineman at Stanford, was selected by the Steelers at No. 24 overall in the first-round of the 2012 NFL Draft and has been with the organization during his entire NFL career.

During his tenure in Pittsburgh, DeCastro was one of the most consistent presences on the Steelers' offensive line, which helped Ben Roethlisberger throw for 4,000 yards four times during nine seasons and feature a 1,000-yard rusher three times.

The Steelers were also the second least-sacked team in the NFL during the span of DeCastro's nine-year career, which included 124 starts in 125 appearances, ranking 11th all-time among Pittsburgh offensive linemen and sixth among guards.

DeCastro is a two-time AP first-team All-Pro (2015, 2017) and one-time second-team All-Pro (2016), as well having earned six consecutive Pro Bowl appearances since 2015.