The Denver Broncos filled their open right tackle position with a familiar face, Billy Turner.
Turner played with the Broncos from 2016-2018, first as a backup and then becoming the full-time left guard for the team in 2018. After, he moved on to Green Bay, where he played the last three years, first at right guard and then out at tackle.
With the Packers, Turner was the full-time starter the last three years, and he said during his re-introduction to Denver presser on Tuesday that he’s improved as a player, too.
“I’ve grown in a lot of different ways. I think I’m a better football player now,” Turner explained. “One thing that was very similar with my time in Denver versus my time in Green Bay is playing different positions.”
It’s definitely good news that he’s improved, the Broncos have been missing a solid right tackle for years. And now with Russell Wilson in the backfield, they need to find the star some time to work his magic.
But, the more interesting quote came when Turner explained he and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett formed a special relationship in Green Bay.
“Every day before practice when we were together the last three years in Green Bay, I would get ready for practice and tape my hands up and whatnot,” Turner said. “He would just come over and he would sit next to me. Sometimes we would talk about things, sometimes we wouldn’t. It was just it was one of those opportunities that we always had daily to sit there, to communicate, and to learn about one another.”
It’s somewhat surprising because there were superstars on that team, like Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams (among others) and yet, Hackett went and hung out with the right tackle before every practice. Even along the forgotten offensive line, right tackle isn’t the most important position.
It’s certainly out of the ordinary. And somehow makes Hackett more admirable.
“He’s just one of those bright positive souls that I’ve fortunately had the great pleasure of meeting in this industry,” Turner continued. “There are a lot of people that come and go in the world of professional sports. When you’re able to meet somebody that is a great person that you’re able to consider a friend, you never want to pass up a situation where you have the opportunity to play for someone like that.”
Being a head coach in the NFL is an impossible job.
The expectations are to be the best or expect to be fired in a short, few years. And when it comes to relating to the players, that can be difficult because they’re usually a lot younger than head coaches and make more money than them, too.
But the way Hackett treated Turner, and the other glowing remarks former players have for him, are good signs for the Broncos under Hackett.
Simply, players are going to give a lot more of themselves for a coach they respect and care about than one they don’t respect. We’ve seen that time and time again in Denver.
And, we’ve seen the positive side of the coin — Mike Shanahan and Gary Kubiak — too.